Almandine
by MissGoalie75
Summary: Before sharing the same fate as her parents, Kaoru was saved by a mysterious vampire who left her nothing but a garnet amulet for protection. Eleven years later, the same vampire rescues her once more and she is thrown into his dark world of immortality…
1. Chapter One

Summary: Before sharing the same fate as her parents, Kaoru was saved by a mysterious vampire who left her nothing but a garnet amulet for protection. Eleven years later, the same vampire rescues her once more and she is thrown into his dark world of immortality...

A/N: Mwhaha I finally make my return! Feels good to start a new story :)

_NOTE: I do not practice wicca – all of my information was taken strictly from the internet. If any of this is inaccurate, I deeply apologize! If you, as a reader, do know a bit about wicca, please leave a review or PM me personally because being a Catholic, I don't know much._

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter One

Darkness. It was a suffocating atmosphere filled with a fog that veiled the dirt path ahead. Only a thin crescent of the moon illuminated the night, no stars studded the sky to aid.

The only living soul was a young girl with ebony hair and cobalt eyes. She was running down the road, making the silent woods echo with the crunching of the dirt under her black dress shoes. Brushing her bangs out of her face, she brought her powder blue jacket closer to her body as she continued to run away from the cold, lifeless eyes of her parents.

"_Run…run away, Kaoru!"_

The last words whispered by her mother before _it_ took her. _It_ took her parents. She didn't know what _it_ looked like, for the darkness shrouded the murderous creature. All she knew was that she was to keep running…

The sound of crunching from beneath her feet stopped when she came in the middle of a crossroad. She froze, unsure of which direction to go. Little girls weren't meant to make such decisions.

"Hey…little girl…" A menacing voice said from directly behind her. She slowly craned her head to look at the source of the voice. He had short, mousy brown hair and a worn face. His eyes were burning red and he had a crazed grin, revealing two glinting fangs. "Would you mind if I took some of your blood?"

He grabbed her from behind and turned her so she could only see his blood-lust eyes. His breath stank of blood. She was frozen with fear as she felt his face dig into the crook of her neck. Even though she was young, she knew she felt invaded.

"N-no…" She managed she squeak as she felt the hard fangs graze her neck.

In one horrifying moment, she thought this ghastly monster would be the one to end her life, like he did to her parents. She had the painful desire of having her parents with her and always protecting her.

However, a spark of red caught the corner of her eye and she was suddenly dropped from the ground. She felt the hot liquid splash onto her face and jacket – blood. The sickening stench made her want to vomit.

She looked away from her blood-stained hands to see her attacker in a bloodied heap on the dirt road. Her gaze shifted upwards to find a man of rather short stature with long red hair – the same shade she saw earlier in the corner of her eye. He was holding a sword that was dripping with fresh blood. At closer inspection, she saw ivory fangs protruding from his mouth as he glared at the unmoving creature he'd killed. She unconsciously began to shake in fright as she watched his quick, but graceful movements toward her.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a surprisingly gentle voice, getting on a bended knee. She was unable to move, scared of what she had just witnessed the man before her do. The red-haired man sighed, took a white handkerchief out of his pocket, and began to wipe the blood off of her pale face. "It's okay…you are safe…" He murmured as he pocketed the blood-stained handkerchief. Before putting a white-glove-covered hand on her head lightly, he looked past her the crossroad. "You must get to the nearest town quickly – take the left fork and do not stop running until you have reached the church. You do know what a church is, right?"

He pulled her up to her feet smoothly as he looked at her with intent violet eyes that were flickered with the amber hue that she first saw him have. She merely nodded, understanding his instructions. He dug a hand into his black jacket pocket for a few moments before taking out a large, red amulet on a silver chain. It was a little smaller than the palm of her hand, she noted as he placed the amulet around her neck.

"This will protect you from evils of the night and will give you guidance." He explained before putting his hand on her head once more. "I wish you good luck in your new life – and I pray you not to mention me to another soul." In the amount of time she had blinked, he'd disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Gripping the amulet tightly in her grasp, she ran in the direction in which he had instructed her and did not stop until she reached the small church at the break of daylight.

* * *

_Eleven Years Later_

"What are you _doing?_ You already missed half of breakfast!"

Kaoru sighed once more as she slowly brushed through her long black hair in front of the mirror. She turned around to look at her roommate Megumi with dazed eyes.

"God, you're _so_ out of it." Megumi stated, taking a strand of dark hair behind her ear before a thought coming to her mind. "Oh…wait…is it…that day?" She asked warily. Kaoru nodded and yawned, putting her brush down lightly before standing up. "Did Riko and Hiraku call at five in the morning?"

Kaoru gave a small smile. "Yeah, they did. They wanted to make sure I did my protection spell before classes." She fingered the garnet amulet around her neck without thought.

Megumi scoffed, "And what did you have to do for this spell?"

"I had to go outside with a stone of Saturn correspondence – I used tourmaline – and center myself in a circle of salt on the ground."

"It's so much easier being a Christian." Megumi sighed, fingering her small, golden cross around her neck.

Kaoru shrugged. "I suppose so. How much of breakfast did I miss?"

"All of it. I just came back to get my Physics textbook – I saved you two pieces of toast." Megumi answered, handing Kaoru two pieces of toast in a white napkin.

"Thanks." Kaoru said, taking a bite and grabbing her messenger bag. "We didn't have any homework in English right?"

"Just the ten note cards on our research paper."

"Okay."

"And we needed to read another act of _Othello_."

"Damn it! I forgot about that." Kaoru cursed as they turned down the corridor into the English wing. "Recap what happened." Kaoru finished her first slice of toast and moved on to her second one as she looked at Megumi expectantly.

"Wow, usually I'm the one who forgets to do the reading." Megumi muttered before going in depth into the play. They quickened their strides and entered the large classroom. They climbed the stairs to the top row of wooden desks and took their usual seats. "Yamakazi is going to know you didn't do the reading – those quizzes are _brutal_."

"You don't think I know that?" Kaoru said worriedly, holding her amulet tightly as everyone else started pooling into the classroom.

"Ugh, shit." Megumi murmured, hiding her head in her arms. Kaoru looked at her confusedly before hearing a very loud voice.

"Megumi! My lovely maiden, where art thou?"

"Not now, Sano. It's too early." Kaoru said in a warning tone. Sano ignored her forewarning and plopped himself next to Megumi. She lifted her head and was about to say something to Sano, but the door entering the classroom opened to reveal an elderly woman of tall stature and sharp eyes.

"Good morning, class." The old woman named Professor Yamakazi greeted as she entered the classroom with her text and signature binder in arm. The class grumbled a "good morning", but not in unison which irked the professor. "I _said_ _good morning class_." She reiterated.

This time, the class chanted back, "Good morning."

Yamakazi placed her binder onto her personal desk and took out a small stack of papers. "Everyone clear your desks except for something with which to write." She started as she gave the pile to the edge person at the bottom row. She took six sheets to pass down her row and gave rest of the sheets to the second row above her. The cycle continued through the top row where Kaoru was fiddling with her amulet. She stopped playing with her necklace as soon as Yamakazi's sharp eyes focused on the top row, making sure everyone got a quiz.

Kaoru looked down at the quiz and took a deep breath before signing her name and beginning. Due to Megumi's in depth explanations, she was able to answer most of the questions except one about a miscellaneous quote that she was sure was by a servant of sorts. Professor Yamakazi loved adding random quotes onto her quizzes and tests to make sure that her students were paying attention to the text while reading.

"You have one minute." Yamakazi warned as she took out her notes for the day and put on her reading glasses that hung on a golden chain around her neck. Kaoru sighed and fingered the silver chain around her neck. She closed her eyes and pictured that cold fall night where she met her red-headed savior. Did she imagine it or did he _really_ have…?

"_Kaoru!_ She said to hand them in." Megumi said, poking Kaoru and breaking her out of her reverie. Kaoru blinked before automatically handing in her quiz. She sighed once more and took out her notebook from her bag. Everyone soon followed her suit and waited patiently and silently for their professor to get organized.

"Now, what was the answer to question one?" She asked with a blank quiz in her hand as she stared at the class expectantly.

Kaoru's attention began to drift and she soon found herself staring out the window, reveling in the brown and red hues of the trees. He had red hair, she thought idly as her hand went to where her red stone was resting slightly above her breast bone. Gripping it in her hand, she felt the warm protection flow through her palm throughout the veins of her body, slowly filling her with a comforting feeling.

However, her peaceful thoughts were interrupted by a strict and loud voice.

"Miss Kamiya! How many times must you be told that you _cannot_ wear such jewelry during school hours?" She snapped, immediately grabbing Kaoru's attention. She stopped mid-fiddle and felt her face grow hot. Her professor held out her wrinkled hand with an expected expression. "Hand it over." She stated. Kaoru clasped the amulet tightly, feeling its soothing warmth through her palm. "Now." Professor Yamakazi demanded. Slowly reaching behind her neck, she unclasped it and took it off. She clasped the chain again before getting up gradually and walking down the stairs to where her professor was standing. Dropping the necklace slowly, she felt as if part of her was completely missing. Her blood, which was once coursing with protection, ran cold without the reassuring weight of her amulet.

"You may pick it up after school hours." The professor said. Kaoru bit her lip and turned to walk back up to her seat.

Of all the days to have possibility had her amulet confiscated, it had to be the day when she was most vulnerable. She was spiritually unstable, being that she was thinking of the past constantly, making her unaware of what was occurring in the present. Mentally cursing herself, she wished she lit a gold candle this morning to bring her luck throughout the day.

Kaoru forced herself to look at her teacher and focus on the lesson, even though it was very difficult and she continuously found herself staring at the pencil marks on her desk where her amulet rested on her professor's desk.

At the end of class, Kaoru immediately got up from her chair and swung her bag onto her shoulder. She walked over to Megumi's desk and waited impatiently for her to hurry up.

"God, Kaoru! Can you just cool it for one minute?" Megumi snapped as she zippered her bag. "See? It didn't take that long did it?"

Kaoru didn't say anything as she walked past her. "I need to go back to our room to get the tourmaline I used this morning."

Megumi groaned. "Why? It'll take even _longer_ to get to physics."

"Because I have no protection whatsoever thanks to the _bitch_ of all professors." Kaoru replied viciously, surprising herself with her maliciousness.

"Well, you _weren't_ paying attention, and quite obviously too. The least you could've done was pretend to be paying attention."

"But still – she has _no clue_ what that amulet means to me." Kaoru continued, pretending she didn't hear Megumi's comment. "I mean, who knows what could happen now?" She muttered to herself, frightened of what unknown dangers await now that she was exposed.

Megumi sneered. "In case you forgot, we're not living in Hogwarts – there's no such thing as magical creatures."

Kaoru craned her neck to look back at her friend. "I don't scoff at your religion; please don't scoff at my beliefs."

"But you don't _really_ believe in it – you just do it to please your parents!"

"Foster parents. Besides, even though I'm not as passionate about it as they are, I still get benefits from it. I really don't want to talk about this again." With that, she increased the speed in her strides and headed toward the dormitories.

After putting the tourmaline in her blazer pocket, she felt a little better but still fingered where her necklace used to rest on her chest. She never felt so exposed in her life. The rest of the day was sluggish for Kaoru, especially since Megumi and she weren't on speaking terms. Although it wasn't much of an argument, Kaoru couldn't bring herself to talk to Megumi, who knew that her foster parents based their whole life on the occult.

Kaoru clutched the tourmaline during the last few minutes of class, eagerly waiting to get her amulet back in her possession. At the corner of her eye, she saw Megumi stare at her before shaking her head in distaste. Kaoru felt her upper lip twitch in annoyance but didn't dare look back at her friend.

When the bell rang, Kaoru immediately sprang up from her desk and speed-walked out of the classroom. Readjusting her bag properly onto her shoulder, she quickened her pace as she weaved through the wave of students who were lazily walking through, exhausted after a long day of classes. She ran up the staircase, immediately out of breath when she reached the top.

Kaoru breathed out in triumph when she reached the door to Professor Yamakazi's office. She smartly knocked on the door and waited patiently. After a minute of silence, she knocked again, a bit louder. However, after another minute of waiting, Kaoru got frustrated.

"Uh, excuse me? Professor Yamakazi?" Kaoru said, slowly opening the door.

The sight before her made her stop breathing.

Blood was splattered on the once impeccably clean office, staining the oak wood a horribly familiar sanguine color. The pungent spell of blood reached Kaoru's nose and made her immediately tense and made her throat go dry. Her messenger bag slid off her shoulder and landed with a loud thump, shattering the thick silence.

Her eyes slowly moved to the source of all the blood – Professor Yamakazi. She was sprawled on the floor, pale, and with a look of terror frozen on her wrinkled face. A dark figure was hunched over her, making jagged panting noises. The figure snapped his head up to reveal and ghostly pale face with gleaming red eyes and a pair of blood-stained fangs.

A flash of that bitter cold night eleven years ago entered her mind and suddenly, she reverted back to the mindset of her frightened five-year-old self.

Her breathing became shallow as the red-eyed vampire glided over to her and trapped her in his iron-like grasp. "Mmm…young…fresh…" The vampire growled under his breath, running his nose up and down her neck. Kaoru's hands began to shake and her chest began heaving as she tried to fill air into her lungs. She screwed her eyes shut, hoping it was all just a horrible nightmare. But the vampire's cold, hard hands were too real as they bruised her forearms and the tang of blood that oozed off him couldn't be replicated in a mere dream.

However, it soon all disappeared – the direct smell of blood and the hard grips on her arm. She opened her eyes in shock to find the red-eyed vampire up against the opposite wall, hissing at someone. Kaoru turned her head to see where he was looking and was even more stunned to see a familiar, short red-headed figure who was in a fighting stance, white-gloved hands holding a gleaming silver sword.

The red-eyed vampire chuckled darkly, unsheathing a sword from behind his back. The redhead stole a quick glance at Kaoru, his violet eyes searching her shrewdly. In that one moment of inattention, the crazed vampire charged at the redhead, who barely managed to block the blow.

"Where is the amulet?" The redhead asked with a slight urgency in his tone as he blocked a side attack and jumped to avoid another.

It took a second for Kaoru to realize that he was speaking to her. "M-my professor took it." She managed to stutter as she slowly walked away from the dueling pair.

The red-eyed vampire managed to cut the redhead's arm, but did not do enough damage to hinder his quick movement. After dodging the vampire's sword, the redhead took his left hand to the end of his sword and brought it under the vampire's chin, completely severing the head.

There was a stifling silence after the thump of the vampire's body crumpling to the ground. The overpowering smell of blood came for another assault on Kaoru's nose, making her feel sick to her stomach once more. After the redhead flicked the metallic blood off his sword, he sheathed it and walked toward Professor Yamakazi's body. As he crouched down to her dead form, Kaoru gave into her body's desire and threw up the contents of her stomach. She choked back a sob before dropping to her knees on the hard wooden floor. From the corner of her eye, she saw the redhead's black boots before a gloved hand speckled with blood came into her view.

"I'm truly sorry you had to witness that." He said softly as she took his still arm with her shaky hand. He helped her get to her feet with ease and gave an apologetic smile. She was unable to speak as he revealed her amulet from his other enclosed hand. "I suppose you want this back, hm?" he said lightly, trying to cheer her up a little. Instead, a few tears leaked from her eyes and ran down her sickly pale cheeks.

A look of pure guilt adjourned his face before his gaze was quickly diverted toward the door. "I have to leave. I'll see you later this evening." He said so quickly that she almost missed it.

When the redhead had disappeared, her gaze fell toward the two dead bodies covered with blood, making her feel extremely woozy. The room soon started tilting and spinning as the blood consumed her lungs and she soon afterwards passed out.

* * *

Kaoru soon started to wake in response to the loud noises being made around her. Still exceedingly groggy, she couldn't make sense of the words and tried to fall back asleep. However, the events that took place earlier began to fill her mind. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself looking into a bright white light. She immediately knew she was in the infirmary wing, having been there once before when she had a stomach bug.

"She's awake!" She caught someone exclaiming before hearing the sound of a door slamming open, incidentally causing her ears to ring. Unintentionally groaning out loud, she turned her head to find the source of the piercing ruckus.

"Get out! She needs to rest!" Kaoru heard the nurse whisper in a threatening tone. Trust the nurse to get rid of unwanted visitors; she was a master of it.

"But this is about a serious murder!" She heard an unfamiliar, masculine voice retort.

"This student has seen a massacre! She needs time to rest!" The nurse hissed. Kaoru's eyes widened, her hand flying to her chest and was worried to find that her amulet wasn't around her neck.

"Where is it?" She whispered out loud. The nurse and the unknown man looked down at Kaoru in shock.

"Where is what, dear?" The nurse asked soothingly.

"My necklace…"

"It's right here on the table next to you. Go back to sleep, you've been through quite a –"

Kaoru shot up and grabbed her amulet from the table and swiftly put it around her neck. She sighed as the comforting warmth began to seep through her veins.

"Well, since she's awake…" the man said, getting his notepad and pen ready. Kaoru eyed him apprehensively, although he had a pleasant face, the determination in his eyes was terrible. "Good evening, I'm detective Akira Kiyosato." He said, scribbling something on the top of his notepad before gazing into her blue eyes. "Would you mind –?"

He was interrupted by an old man quickly striding through the infirmary wing with a hard glare. "Excuse me, but who allowed _you_ onto my school property?" the old man questioned, his eyes boring into Akira's.

"Ah, you must be Nenji Kashiwazaki, the headmaster of this academy?" Akira said smoothly, standing up and holding out a hand. "Detective Akira Kiyosato." The old man continued to glower at the detective and did not shake his hand.

"You are harassing a student that has not even rested for twenty-four hours after seeing such a scene? Leave this instant!" He roared, making Akira cower slightly. Akira gave a quick nod before fleeing the infirmary wing. The headmaster sighed and shook his head before turning his attention toward Kaoru. "I'm sorry about all the noise. How are you feeling?" He inquired kindly.

"I'm okay…my head just hurts." Kaoru answered with a raspy voice. She cleared her throat and swallowed.

"I'm sure our Ms. Miyagi would be more than happy to give you some aspirin. I'm afraid I have to leave, but I'm glad you're feeling well." He said, putting a strong hand on her shoulder. His intelligent eyes rested on the amulet around her neck for a few moments before turning on his heel out of the infirmary wing. Kaoru unconsciously touched the red stone with a curious expression on her face.

"Here's one aspirin. After you take it, you must go to sleep." Ms. Miyagi said sternly, watching Kaoru who sighed in a dejected manner. More than one would've been nice, she thought to herself as she took the aspirin and glass of water from her. After finishing her glass of water, she laid back onto her bed and closed her eyes, feigning sleep until hearing the clicking of heels drifting away and the red behind her eyelids changing to black.

Kaoru opened her eyes to stare into the black abyss and sighed. She wondered whether or not her redheaded savior would come back to see her, or if she would never see him again for another eleven years. After all, she was extremely interested in knowing his name. Her head continued to pound as she began to visualize the other beds and tables in the darkness. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain to sleep. However, immediately after shutting her eyes, a gloved hand covered her mouth gently. By instinct, she shot upright only to be pushed back down onto the bed.

"Shh, it's only me." The voice she immediately recognized to belong to the redhead vampire. She relaxed back against the pillow and tried to find his face in the dark. He removed his hand from her mouth and backed away.

"Who are you?" Kaoru asked quietly.

"We'll talk in the restroom." He swiftly said before disappearing. She sighed as she silently got out of her bed and walked on the cold tile floor toward the bathroom. When she turned on the light, she adjusted her eyes to the brightness to find him sitting on the toilet, staring at her.

He stood up and wordlessly offered the seat. "It's okay; I'll sit on the floor." She said as she slid down the door. Remembering that she was wearing a nightdress, she crossed her legs and waited for him to speak.

He exhaled and sat back down on the toilet before saying, "I swiped a few pain-killers for you." He opened his closed hand to reveal two white pills. She gasped and grabbed them from his outstretched hand. In less than a second, he had a glass of water ready for her.

"Thank you." She murmured before swallowing them all at once. After she finished her water, she looked up at him questioning. "How did you know I have a headache?"

"The blood flow in someone's brain is very different when they have a headache." He explained, looking at her thoroughly. It wasn't in a creepy sort of way; he was merely looking at how much she changed after eleven years. Nonetheless, Kaoru blushed, feeling very uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare. It's just incredible how the human body grows in such a short amount of time."

"To you it's a short amount." She murmured.

"Oh, but it really is in the large scheme of things." He started, getting excited. "How you double your height in a decade is truly remarkable."

"Does it really go that fast – time I mean." She inquired.

He suddenly became very detached. "After a while it does."

She decided she didn't like seeing him depressed like that, so she quickly changed the subject. "So, I've had eleven years to wonder what your name is, and I really want to know, now that you're actually here."

A small smile crept on his face. "Kenshin."

"Kenshin." She repeated, deciding that the name fit him. A flicker of unease passed his face after she said his name. But it disappeared as fast as it had come. "I suppose you know my name by now."

He smiled a bit wider. "Kaoru."

She shivered at the way he said her name, liking the way he made it sound musical. Feeling a bit more comfortable under his gaze, she took in every detail of him. The way his eyes shone with an unnatural light and his air of poise and grace entranced her. He was beyond any mortal.

"Vampires do exist." Kaoru breathed. She watched him keenly as one of his auburn eyebrows rose slightly and a small, almost sad smile crept up his face.

"Yes, we do exist." He answered with a hint of melancholy.

She took a deep breath and exhaled through her mouth, thinking of what else to say. "How…how did you…" She stopped, not knowing how to word her question.

"How did I know you were in danger?" He prompted. She nodded and brought her knees up to her chest. He crossed his legs and leaned back so he sat erect. "Well, there were warnings of a vampire who had lost his mind. And he had left an obvious trail, so I had followed him."

"Is that what you do? I mean, this is the second time saving me." She blurted without thinking. He smiled at her sheepish expression after making her comment.

"I suppose. It's a way of protecting humans." He answered somewhat shortly, giving a feeling that he didn't want to discuss it further. "But I must confess," he started, uncrossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees, "it's very odd for a human to be attacked twice. Your blood isn't particularly tempting." His last comment he said in a thoughtful manner. She suddenly became very aware of the fact that she was in a very small bathroom two feet away from a vampire that could easily end her life in less than a blink of an eye.

"Blood is blood." She said weakly, bringing her legs even tighter to herself. He looked at her with an ashamed expression, pulling away back to his original position.

"Yes…" He agreed with a voice that was filled with regret and something else she couldn't quite name. "You greatly dislike blood."

"Ugh, it smells bad and tastes nasty."

"It reminds you of that October night, does it not?"

She suddenly felt a tinge of annoyance at how he read her so openly. "And what makes you say that?"

"When I saw you first gazed upon your professor's corpse, I was seeing the eyes of that frightened five-year-old from eleven years past."

"Any _normal_ person would've reacted the same as I did." She retorted.

"No, you've seen us once before. You _knew_ what he was before seeing his face. Nobody else would've reacted like you." He stated calmly. She avoided his bright violet eyes and fingered her amulet.

"Why did you give me this?" She asked softly, gripping the stone tightly.

"I told you that very night – to protect you. Of course, it will only protect you if you wear it." He replied, referring to earlier when she wasn't wearing it.

"That wasn't my fault! I blame you for that – I was thinking about that night in class and –"

"And you were fiddling with it. I don't believe it's my fault if you have a short attention span when you are in a class." He finished for her, with an amused expression. She didn't know what to say and instead glared at him. "Ah, teenage spirit. Very invigorating." He said with a longing in his voice, standing up.

"What stone is this? Ruby? Garnet?" She finally asked after a few tense moments.

"Garnet…or almandine as we call it."

"Does garnet have special powers or something?" She asked, unable to keep a straight face.

"You don't believe it even though you know the existence of vampires? I suspected you would believe anything after this."

"Well why don't you stop assuming how I'm going to react to things? It's really irritating."

"I'm sorry, I really don't mean it. I haven't exactly been in direct contact with a human recently."

Most of Kaoru's anger evaporated with the comment. She didn't quite understand the implications of being a vampire. "So you're old then."

"Very."

She took in a breath and looked at him carefully. "How old?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. It was so natural and done with ease she knew he wasn't doing it on purpose like most people who are able to do the one eyebrow raise. "Are you sure you want to know?"

She let out her breath and nodded. "Yeah."

"One hundred and seventy years-old."

Kaoru's eyes bulged as she stared at the man before her who looked no older than herself. "Holy shit." She managed to squeak.

He chuckled a little before his violet eyes suddenly moved to the door and narrowed slightly, his face serious. "They are coming. I have to go."

"Wait!" Kaoru said a bit loudly. Kenshin put a finger to his lips, his eyes wide with worry.

"What?" He whispered.

"Am…well…are you just going to disappear again for another eleven years?" She asked, feeling very childish. Surprising her, he bit his bottom lip and shifted his eyes toward the small window on their side.

"It's not permitted for vampires to be in contact with humans." He replied softly. Kaoru didn't know why, but what he said made her heart ache. Still, she kept her composure and nodded slowly. He took her hand and kissed it very briefly before licking his lips. "Keep that amulet around your neck. Be safe." He turned toward the small window before adding, "You've grown into a beautiful woman, Kaoru," in a soft voice. Before she could say goodbye, he disappeared as soon as she had blinked.

* * *

A/N: So, did you enjoy it? Hate it? Love it? Make you want to set your computer on fire? I will never know unless you...

Please review!

MissGoalie


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Wow – thank you all so much for your reviews! I appreciate every single one of them :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Two 

The knock on the door made Kaoru jump in fright. She looked to the window and saw it was opened a slither.

"Kaoru? Are you alright?" The worried voice of the nurse asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I just wasn't feeling well." Kaoru found herself saying as she reached over to flush the toilet. Turning on the sink, she feigned washing her hands and face. After a minute, she turned off the sink and opened the door to find the alert woman staring at her sharply. "I was thinking about earlier and felt sick." She said softly.

Satisfied with her answer, the nurse walked away and turned the light off as soon as Kaoru got acclimated. She steadily felt her headache lessen as she thought about the mysterious redhead. He finally has a name – Kenshin. She contemplated to herself as she stared at the ceiling, her thoughts slowly shifting to what had happened a few hours ago. Instead of feeling nauseous by recalling the amount of blood, she felt a stabbing sadness upon remembering her professor's scared, lifeless eyes. Guilt consumed her – knowing she cursed her teacher for being a horrible person, when she knew that wasn't true.

Her nose began to sting as tears prickled in her eyes. Her death must've been so painful, Kaoru thought as she choked back a sob, tears flowing from the corner of her eyes and into her hair and ears. She continued to cry in silence until she turned her face into her pillow and cried openly, the sounds muffled.

She could've sworn she felt a ghostly hand on her back as sobs racked through her body during the night.

When she woke up in the late morning, her eyes were itchy and red from crying most of the night. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before turning toward the door where the headmaster was arguing with the reporter from the other night.

"Don't worry, Mr. Kashiwazaki will get rid of that bloke once and for all." Ms. Miyagi said to Kaoru, a smirk on her face. "That horrible man, how dare he harass students…" She started to mutter to herself as she walked back to her office.

Kaoru put a hand to her stomach, which started to growl. "That's right, I threw up everything." She said to herself, realizing why she was so hungry.

"Oh, Kaoru, the cafeteria is serving lunch now, but would you like anything in particular? I suggest something bland for your stomach."

"Cereal would be great." Kaoru said hopefully.

"Alright. Stay in bed and I'll be back." She said sternly before leaving the room. Kaoru shifted her gaze to the arguing men outside the room, and noticed that the door was cracked open. Quietly getting out of her bed, she tip-toed to the door and laid back against the wall, to make sure the men couldn't see her.

"Please can I talk to her? This is rather important!" Akira said in an exasperated voice. She could tell that this wasn't the first time he'd asked.

"Of course not! How many times? You may not go near _any_ of my students!"

"This case has taken an interesting turn of events, Mr. Kashiwazaki. Have you spoken with the investigators yet?"

"Briefly."

"Well this killing hasn't been done by anything _human_. I mean, limbs nearly torn apart, a slashed throat –" Kaoru slid down the wall, her breath caught in her throat.

"That's _enough!_ If you do not leave in the next minute, I will call the police and have a restraining order put on you. Do I make myself absolutely clear?"

She vaguely heard the men walking away as she sat on the floor in shock. Of course she knew that her professor suffered greatly, but she didn't think that monster actually _toyed_ with her…

Tears welled in her eyes as she pictured the bloody scene once more. She hid her face in her arms as she brought her knees to her chest. "Ugh, go away." She moaned, wanting the memories of that afternoon to disappear.

"Kaoru? _Kaoru! _What's wrong?" Ms. Miyagi cried, putting a tray of food down to the floor and putting a hand on Kaoru's head.

"Oh…" She said, raising her head and gripping her amulet tightly. "Sorry…"

Ms. Miyagi sighed before holding out her two hands. Kaoru took them wordlessly and stood up. "I told you to stay in bed! Now, I want you to _stay in bed_ and eat your cereal – it's Honey Nut Cheerios."

Kaoru decided to obey Ms. Miyagi's demand since she seemed rather agitated about the persistent detective. When she climbed back into bed, she took large spoonfuls of the cereal, almost choking to please the nurse. Ms. Miyagi left a few minutes later, assured that Kaoru wasn't going to leave.

Touching the back of the hand Kenshin had kissed, she wondered where he was. Would he have left so soon? It was, after all, the second time she had been attacked by a vampire. He would be worried about her safety…right?

She shook her head and moved her hand up to her amulet. Many questions had been floating in her mind and she wanted answers. She berated herself for not asking better questions when they met in the bathroom. The time asking and answering his age could've been used for better questions…

"Kaoru? Your parents are here." Ms. Miyagi said softly as she took away the tray from her lap.

"My parents?"

"Of course. After what has happened?"

The door to the infirmary suddenly slammed open to reveal a woman wearing a purple, shimmering shawl, a black dress, and large glasses standing in front of a man who wore no expression on his face. The woman ran into the room, the beads on her shawl harmonizing with the clicking of her heels as she stretched out her arms to Kaoru.

"My sweet, sweet girl! What catastrophe have you seen?" She cried, bringing Kaoru into a tight hug, who awkwardly patted her on the back in reassurance.

"I'm fine, Riko, really."

"Oh, but your aura – it is so disturbed!" She suddenly gasped, leaning in closer to look into Kaoru's eyes. "The amber specks on your soul are in full flame! Why is this? Hiraku! Come here!" She demanded, whipping her head to where her husband was standing.

He strode over to Kaoru and put a hand on her head. "Are you alright, Kaoru?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

He gave a small smile before removing his hand from her head and placing it on the shoulder of his wife. "Riko, give the girl some space." He said kindly.

She slowly nodded as if in a daze. "Of course. Sorry." She stood up so she was next to Hiraku. "But you do seem unwell, Kaoru dear. Have you done any spells in the last twenty-four hours?"

"Riko, I've been in the infirmary wing for the past day. I can't go off lighting candles and –" Kaoru started patiently until Riko gasped, interrupting her.

"Oh, this is terrible. We must do something quickly. I'll send prayers to the goddess to help your healing. Yes, that will be best. When you are free to leave this…infirmary…you must cleanse your soul. You need a serious replenishing…" She said quickly, putting both her hands on Kaoru's shoulders.

Kaoru sighed and nodded. "I will, I promise."

"Actually, you are allowed to take her home." A voice stated that Kaoru recognized to be the headmaster's. She and her foster parents turned their heads to where he stood in the doorway.

"We are allowed then?" Riko asked excitedly. Kaoru could imagine all of the plans Riko had in store involving her "soul replenishing".

"Yes, I think it will be best, given the attention this crime is receiving." He sighed, suddenly looking very old. She looked at him with sympathy – she doubted the investigators were ever going to guess that her professor was murdered by a vampire.

"How long am I going to be out of school?" She asked.

"For the rest of this week. You may come back next Monday. During this time I will hope you will…let the events from yesterday sink in and…"

"I understand. Thank you." Kaoru finished for him, giving a small smile. She pulled the covers away and stood up. "I think I need to change out of this before I leave."

"Kaoru! This is wonderful – you can perform the esbat with Hiraku and I tomorrow!" Riko exclaimed, her eyes wide with happiness. Kaoru closed her eyes in embarrassment so she wouldn't have to see the headmaster's confused and frightened expression.

For the next five days, Kaoru stayed at home with her foster parents, which was a three hour drive from the school. They did perform the esbat – a ritual celebrating the full moon – and Kaoru's foster parents helped her in stabilizing herself by using aromatherapy and the lighting of candles. By the time it was Monday, Kaoru felt confident and prepared to return to Malachite Academy

"I gave you some more orange candles since you burned up your three, and I also gave you a book on spells to protect yourself with because the goddess knows how much you need them…" Riko said when they reached the entrance of her school.

"I'll be fine. Really." Kaoru said for the millionth time before pulling her foster mother into a hug. "I'll call you later this week, okay?"

"Alright. My prayers go to you, as always." Riko said, kissing her forehead before getting back into the car and driving away.

Kaoru sighed and gripped her amulet tightly. She had childishly hoped that Kenshin would come see her, but she realized that he stood by what he had said – humans and vampires are not meant to be in contact.

When she went into the office to check herself in, there were two men who were dressed very much like the detective Akira Kiyosato: a black suit and tie with a badge pinned to the collar. She slowly walked to the main desk and tried to ignore the men who were quietly interviewing another secretary.

"Welcome back Kaoru. These men have been in here for the past two hours. Quite annoying when you're trying to get work done." The secretary shook her head before smiling. "Anyway, your English class has been relocated for obvious reasons – it's 148. Second period just started so you can still make it." She explained, writing her name and the time she arrived on the sign in sheet.

"Okay, thanks." Kaoru said before quickly walking out of the office.

After getting her bags for her class, which happened to be English, she was glad that nobody was in the hallways. But she would have to deal with everyone staring at her during the next passing time.

When Kaoru entered her English class, whispers immediately erupted from the students. She inhaled a shaky breath as she looked at the substitute, who was an extremely good looking person of muscular stature and long, black hair. A little too good looking, she thought suspiciously as she watched his dark eyes fix on her.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Kamiya. I'm Professor Seijuro." He said with a deep, smooth voice. A few of the girls giggled and sighed while the guys all scoffed. Kaoru gave a small smile in greeting before walking up the stairs to her usual seat next to Megumi.

"Hi, Megumi." She whispered softly. Megumi silently reached over and squeezed her hand, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"I'm so sorry." She said with a broken voice.

"It's okay."

"So, as we were discussing, _Othello_ was a man who severely lost his mind…"

* * *

"He's a piece of work. Very intimidating in his own way. Almost scarier than…" Kaoru trailed off, not wanting to say her former professor's name. 

"Yeah, you should've seen him when he first walked in. We were all talking and stuff and just _one glare_ at us and we all just shut up and sat down like an army group. It was crazy." Megumi said, shaking her head.

"I wonder where Kashiwazaki dug him up." Kaoru said thoughtfully.

"Out of all of the English teachers of the world, he had to choose this one. Not that I'm complaining…he's so hot!" Megumi sighed, putting her hand over her heart in a dramatic gesture.

"I guess so."

"You guess so? Kaoru, this guy had every single girl in our class wanting to bang him." Megumi said, laughing along with Kaoru as they walked to Physics together.

"Actually, did you see his skin? He's so _white_. He looks deathly ill. Like he's got no blood in him." Megumi added.

Kaoru froze in her tracks, her eyes widening in realization. "Of course…" She whispered.

"Huh?" Megumi turned around to find her friend looking as if she'd just realized the meaning of life and saw a ghost at the same time. "What's up?" Kaoru suddenly spun around and ran away. "Kaoru! Where are you going?" Megumi called after her.

"Back to English! I'll see you later." Kaoru yelled back before heading down the stairs to her English classroom. Reaching the classroom door, she opened it to find Professor Seijuro sitting behind his desk shifting through papers.

"Ah, Miss Kamiya. What can I do for you?" He asked unemotionally. His black eyes shifted from hers to the amulet around her neck for a split second. During this time, she looked at him carefully and realized he did look sickly white, the same shade of Kenshin's skin.

She wanted to blurt out that she was on to him and that she knew he was a vampire, but she had a small seed of doubt. What if he wasn't a vampire and was just a pale, handsome teacher?

"I…I was wondering what work I needed to catch up on." Kaoru finally said, cursing herself for not going through with what she intended.

She could've sworn she saw a small smirk on his face before he looked down at his papers. "Well, your class has finished _Othello_ and was given one of those 'mini quizzes' your classmates seem to fear." She bit her lip to prevent tears from falling. He noticed her teary eyes and gave a small sigh, as if he was defeated. "I'm sorry that…one of my kind attacked you. That's why I am here…to prevent those who had lost their mind to blood from coming here."

"I knew it." Kaoru whispered in triumph. She forced the smile off her face when she realized that her dangerous conviction was correct, which wasn't worth celebrating.

"I figured as much." He said as he stood up. "Have you seen the vampire that saved you?"

"Wait." She said suddenly. "What do you mean 'that's why I'm here'? Is this a self-appointed task, or is it something else?" One his eyebrows rose slightly in response, heavily reminding Kaoru of Kenshin. "Does the headmaster know of this? Did he hire you because of this?" She asked quickly.

He merely repeated his previous question, "Have you seen the vampire that saved you?"

She realized that she wasn't going to get any answers from him, so she gave up and decided to partially answer his question. "Once – later that night. But, I haven't seen him since then." She sighed, purposely leaving out the fact that she'd seen that vampire once before eleven years ago.

"So you clearly remember what he looks like?" She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. The school bell rang, signaling that everyone should be in their next period class. "I will give you a pass." He said dismissively, eyeing her intently.

"Long red hair and he's only a little taller than I am." She admitted slowly.

A small smile grew on his face in recognition. "Hm, not a lot of vampires have long, red hair."

"Not a lot of _people_ have long, red hair, especially guys." She corrected. The smile grew wider into a smirk. "You know who he is." She stated when she saw his face.

He merely smirked at her. "Interesting. Well, thank you for sharing those details. Here's your pass, and have a nice day." He said, the last part in an almost derisive way as he handed her a small, white piece of paper. She took it from his grasp and walked out of the classroom. "You will not mention this to anyone." He stated, sitting back down in his chair.

"Right." She said as she closed the door.

"I suggest not going out on the school grounds so early in the morning."

She froze mid close for a moment before opening the door a bit wider. "Why? And how did you know I…?"

"The sun is still not completely out and you are not safe."

"But you're out! The sun obviously doesn't affect you like in the movies."

He looked up from his papers to give her a stern look. "That may be so, but my kind thrives in the dark. That's how we operate. It does not matter about when we're vulnerable, because the truth of the matter is we are practically _in_vulnerable. You must know this."

She swallowed before nodding slowly. "Okay, fine."

"Oh, for the record, this is not a self-appointed task. If I had my choice, I would be on the other side of the world speaking my home tongue." He added arbitrarily.

"English literature I'm assuming isn't your favorite subject I see."

"The literature these professors think of as genius only proves their ignorance in the subject. Texts such as _Othello_ are no works of brilliance."

"If any of the other English professors heard this they would have a cow."

"Don't you have to go to Physics?" He stated, not looking up from his papers.

She was about to ask him how he knew what class she had, but closed her mouth along with the door.

* * *

"What did you need to see Seijuro for?" Megumi asked when their Physics professor left the classroom to get their homework papers. 

"Oh…I just wanted to know what I missed." Kaoru answered truthfully. She did ask him what she needed to make up, after all.

"I could've just told you." Megumi said with a slightly suspicious tone.

"Yeah, well, it's a good first impression, right?" Kaoru replied. Thankfully, Megumi nodded and turned her attention back to the notes they took during the period.

"Do you understand what we learned today? I mean, I have a basic understanding but I don't get _why _we use it,you know?"

Kaoru sighed in relief. "You know me, I _barely _get Physics."

"Then why are you in Physics honors?"

"Why are _you_ in English honors?"

Megumi smiled. "Fair point. So what did you do during your five day weekend?"

"Hardly as fun as it sounds. There were a few investigators that tried to talk to me, but Riko scared them off by pretending to curse them."

Megumi laughed. "As strangely eccentric your foster mom is, she manages to keep a sense of humor about her beliefs. Like, she knows a lot of people think of it as bull, and she takes advantage of it when the situation presents itself."

"Yeah, but she doesn't like how people don't respect her beliefs."

"I'm really sorry about that day." Megumi quickly added. "I felt so guilty, especially when I thought something bad happened to you. God, when I heard you were in the infirmary…" She started before tears filled her eyes.

"Megumi, _I forgive you_. It's all in the past, okay?"

Their Physics teacher returned, promptly stopping all of the chatter. After another twenty minutes, the bell rang, signaling the first lunch period, during which everyone whispered and stared at Kaoru. She avoided everyone's gaze and focused her attention on Megumi's story about how her uncle was trying to push her into going into journalism.

"Honestly, I cannot tell you how many times I've tried to tell him that I _hate_ writing." Megumi groaned, taking an angry bite out of her salad. Kaoru nodded in sympathy, but silently seething inside, wanting the table next to hers to stop staring at her openly.

"Did you hear about the new kid?" Sano said, plopping himself next to Megumi before taking a large bite out of his sandwich.

"There's a new kid?" Kaoru asked interestedly.

"Yeah, he showed up to my Pre-Calculus class – made all the girls die in their seats. Honestly, doesn't the female population have enough eye-candy in this school already?" He said in between chews.

"Why, is he as good looking as Seijuro?" Megumi asked excitedly. Kaoru looked at Sano expectantly, making him groan.

"Oh, not you two! How am I supposed to know? I'm a _guy_. Shouldn't you be asking your other _girl_ friends?"

"What does he look like then?" Megumi inquired.

"Weird – he's got white hair and he came into my class with sunglasses on. He also has really freaky blue eyes. Like, laser-eye." He described, shuddering while describing his eyes.

"Is he really pale?" Kaoru asked slowly.

"No, not like that Seijuro guy – I got a fucking detention from him!"

"Well that's no surprise."

"Oh, Megumi! Why must you be so cold?"

Megumi rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth was raised slightly. She turned back to her salad while Kaoru's eyes drifted around the cafeteria, hoping to find the white-haired student.

"What's his name?" She asked.

"Enishi…Yukoshiro…I think."

Kaoru eventually found him surrounded by giggling girls, looking rather pleased. She had to disagree with Sano's description in some aspects – his hair seemed more silver than white as it glinted in the light. Although he wasn't deathly pale as Seijuro, he was still pale, as if he didn't go out in the sun very much.

His bright turquoise eyes suddenly caught hers and she was frozen to her seat, held by his gaze. This isn't normal, she thought in a trance as the cafeteria crashed before her eyes and all she could see was those cold eyes…

As fast as it had happened, she blinked and the loud noises of the cafeteria filled her ears along with Sano's calling to her face.

"Kaoru!" He and Megumi finally yelled.

"Yeah, what? Sorry."

"God, you just totally zoned out."

Kaoru slowly shifted her eyes back to Enishi, who was looking at her with a smirk. She bit her lip and touched her amulet, not knowing what to make of him. "He's kind of strange." She said arbitrarily.

"Who?"

"Enishi."

Megumi followed her gaze and nodded. "Yeah, he is a bit strange, but you have to admit he is beautiful in a strange way."

Kaoru wasn't sure she agreed with her, but that didn't stop her from glancing at him every other minute, hoping to read something from him. However, by the end of lunch, she was no where closer as to figuring him out.

During their passing time, she walked up the stairs to the third floor and found herself behind Enishi. She eyed his broad shoulders and silver hair with caution, wondering what he was really like. Her eyes shifted down to his hand on the banister and she gasped in shock and fear.

His hand was as white as ivory.

* * *

A/N: Cliffy! I'm so sorry, I couldn't help myself! And I'm really sorry but I will not be updating next week! Why you ask? I'm going to be in California! Yay! So I'm really sorry, and I'll be updating the week after, I promise! 

Please review :)

MissGoalie


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: GAH! Biggest idiot ever! I messed up Enishi's last name! As one reviewer kindly pointed out (I'm sorry I don't remember who you are!) I misspelled it – it's not Yuk**o**shiro it's Yuk**i**shiro. I don't know if a lot of you caught that, but I just want to state I'm not a complete fool and I'm sorry! From now on he will be referred to by the proper spelling of his last name.

Oh, by the way, my vacation was awesome, I feel nice and refreshed, but it's also good to be back in front of my laptop and writing again :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Three 

Kaoru was absolutely floored. How could there be two vampires residing in the same school? At the same time? It seemed very wrong and suspicious to her, and she wanted explanations.

She felt her amulet grow warm on her skin and she forced her frantic heart to a steady pace. There was no way she could make a scene in the stairway, she thought to herself as she forced her gaze away from his deathly hand to her black shoes. Maybe he came for the same reasons as Professor Seijuro, she guessed as she went down the left corridor and Enishi turned to the right. She let out a sigh of relief, glad that he was no longer in her presence.

During her history class, she decided that she was going to mention her observations to Seijuro. Even though she had a feeling that he knew, she still would feel better about confiding in someone. She was afraid to involve Megumi, since she barely knew about how she was found by her foster parents eleven years ago. All that she knew was that Kaoru ran away from her parents dead bodies and found herself in a small church of a small town. Not one word of Kenshin or what had killed her parents.

She ended up skipping dinner to do a calming meditation. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see a cat with red fur watching her from the window with large, amber eyes. The hair, in fact, reminded Kaoru strongly of Kenshin. However, after she made eye contact with the cat, it disappeared before her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, forcing herself to believe the cat merely jumped off the window pane.

She stood up and went to her drawers, searching the top one and took out a bottle of chamomile, an essential oil that encourages emotional peace and calm. Sitting cross-legged on the floor once more, she quietly meditated for a half hour, slowly feeling better. After doing this, she felt satisfied that the situation with vampires coming to her school would eventually calm down and soon will be nothing more than a horrible convenience.

The next day, Kaoru was extremely angry and afraid to find that Enishi was in her English class. She thought it was extremely odd that Enishi happened to be in the same honors English class as she was. Making her expression emotionless, she took her usual seat at the top row of wood desks where Megumi already sat.

"I can't believe Enishi is in our English class! He's already in my A.P. Bio class – I have him as my partner for the next three labs." Megumi gushed in a low whisper.

Kaoru was anything but pleased. She didn't want to tell her friend that Enishi wasn't one to be trusted without raising some difficult questions, but she didn't want her to start becoming friends with him.

"Megumi, you'd better be careful, a lot of girls like him. He could be heartbreaker for all we know."

Megumi brushed her off. "Oh, I'm just having a bit of fun. He is extremely attractive, and a lot more of a gentleman than the rooster." She said, directing her gaze to Sano who was laughing loudly along with a few other guys.

_At least Sano is human_, Kaoru thought ruefully as she got out a notebook and pen.

"Megumi, can you tell me what we needed to fill out in that packet for Bio? I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention during the end of class." A smooth voice said next to her. Kaoru lifted her eyes to see Enishi standing directly in front of Megumi with an apologetic smile on his face.

Megumi turned a delicate shade of pink as she pondered for a moment. "Yeah it was pages three through fourteen, but skip questions ten, nineteen, and twenty-six." She recited.

He gave her a crooked smile that made Megumi's face turn a shade darker, and even made Kaoru's heart rate increase against her will. "Thank you. I'll talk to you later, then." He said before giving a small glance to Kaoru, eyeing her amulet, and turning away. She gripped her amulet and glared at his retreating back.

"See? He's so nice." Megumi sighed as she reached into her backpack for her own things.

Kaoru held her tongue and said nothing as Professor Seijuro entered the classroom. He swept his gaze across the room, immediately silencing everyone. She shuddered, being the first time she experienced his intense glare.

"I have finished grading the papers that your late professor had started earlier. I will hand them back to you four minutes before the end of the period so please, do not interrupt the lesson to ask for them." He said, placing a stack of papers on his desk and giving a knowing look to an obnoxious girl in the bottom row, who always bothered teachers about getting assignments back. She consequentially blushed and looked down at her hands.

"I will be right back – I need to go into the English storage room and get copies of _The Great Gatsby_." He said, striding out of the room.

Everyone waited quietly for a few moments until chatter erupted. Sano tried to charm Megumi, which Kaoru wanted to hug him for, but Megumi would just ignore him, much to Sano and Kaoru's dismay. He dejectedly walked back to his desk and Kaoru rounded on her.

"Why do you have to be so inconsiderate? I think he really does like you."

Megumi looked at her curiously. "I thought you thought he was annoying."

"Well…he is…but I really think he likes you. Maybe you shouldn't blatantly ignore him like that."

"Are you trying to play matchmaker for me or something?" Megumi asked with annoyance in her tone.

"No, I'm just suggesting that…maybe we should be a bit nicer to him. Maybe he'll get less annoying." Kaoru said carefully.

Megumi gave a noncommittal shrug just as Seijuro walked back into the classroom with a stack of books. Some of the students groaned, which caused a small smirk to form on Seijuro's face. "Yes, I know how _dreadful_ reading can be for some of you, but come down in an orderly fashion, get your note card, and take a book."

Kaoru smiled in amusement as everyone slowly stood up and walked down to his desk. Seijuro caught her gaze and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

When everyone received their books, he talked about the time period in which the novel took place to give a general background. After his small lecture, he told everyone to begin reading for the last twenty minutes. Finishing one chapter, Kaoru looked up to find Seijuro sitting at his desk writing. Her gaze shifted to the clock above the door and saw in a minute he would hand back their papers.

She watched the clock and exactly when the secondhand reached the twelve, Seijuro stood up and said, "I will hand back your papers." Shuddering, she knew he didn't look at the clock to check the time.

When she got hers back, she was relieved to have gotten a ninety. However, next to her letter grade had the words, "come see me" in narrow handwriting. She shifted her gaze to Megumi who was looking over her paper intently, reading the marks Seijuro had made.

"I'll let you go early. If I hear any complaints about disrupting classes you'll have to answer to me." Hiko said with a warning tone. Everyone's chairs scraped against the floor as everyone shuffled out of the classroom as quickly as they could.

"Coming?" Megumi asked when Kaoru remained seated.

"I have to meet with him." She responded, holding up her paper.

"You did that bad?"

Kaoru smiled. "No, it just says to meet with him. I suppose it's my horrible use of commas or something."

"But you're the master of commas." Megumi said suspiciously. Kaoru briefly wondered if she was always this intruding, but decided to brush it off.

"Whatever, I'll tell you what happens later."

Megumi nodded and walked down the stairs to the door. Enishi followed quickly behind her and tapped her shoulder. She turned around and grinned before leaving the classroom with him by her side. Kaoru stared where they were standing before with worry.

"So, you have a question about your paper, yes?" Seijuro said from his desk, interrupting her thoughts. She quickly stood up and walked to the front of his desk with fast strides. Before opening her mouth, he gestured toward a chair to her left. "Bring a chair here and take a seat." He offered. She swiftly grabbed the chair and placed it in front of him at the other end of his desk before slapping her paper onto it. "Now, what would you like to talk about? You seemed rather…tense during class."

"It's the new kid." Kaoru said quietly.

"Enishi Yukishiro…" He said without expression.

"Yeah, he's a…" He gave her a warning look, forbidding her to use that word. "He's…a you-know-what." She finished rather lamely.

"Yes, he is."

"Okay, why isn't he pale like you or…" She stopped herself short, not wanting to give up Kenshin's name.

He smirked a little, knowing why she stopped her sentence. "It's the oldest trick in the book – makeup."

She stared at him blankly for a few moments. "He used foundation" She stated, shocked at the simplicity. "Well…he's stupid then because I figured it out because of his hands – they're as white as snow."

"Well, not a lot of people look at other's hands." Hiko reasoned, silently adding that _normal_ people without severe paranoia of vampires look at people's hands.

"But why…?"

"Maybe he had hoped to throw me off, which is impossible because I saw right through him when he first entered this class, which would mean he obviously underestimates my abilities."

"He doesn't seem that stupid." She said, slightly shocked at his arrogance.

"No, he's not." He said thoughtfully, sitting back in his chair. "Very strange."

"So…you've never seen him before." She said, wanting to straighten her facts.

"Correct. Never heard of such a man, either." She felt very unsettled by this piece of information, which was apparent on her face because he said quickly. "I will soon find out. Two of my kind is coming down to spy, but they'll be out of the scenes."

She wasn't sure about having more vampires near the school, but decided that this was the best course to take if they were to get to the bottom of Enishi's motives for coming to Malachite Academy. Sighing, she nodded before standing up and placing her paper in her backpack.

"Nobody could spy on us…right?" Kaoru asked suddenly, the result of having watched and read too many stories about the bad guy ending up knowing more than the good guys.

"I would've sensed someone from the end of the hallway." He reassured. She got up and put the chair back in its original spot before looking back at him. "It will clear up soon. I myself will leave after this year."

Kaoru nodded before thanking him before quietly walking out of the classroom.

* * *

"So what did he want _this_ time?" Megumi asked in their room while they were doing their Physics homework together. 

"He…actually wanted to use some of my analysis as an example for the lower level classes." Kaoru made up on the spot.

Megumi looked at her with impressed eyes. "Wow, honorable."

"Yep. Ugh! I can't get question seven." Kaoru exclaimed, banging her head inside her textbook.

"Do you like him?" Megumi asked flatly.

Kaoru raised her head from the textbook in absolute shock. "What?"

"Professor Seijuro. I won't tell anybody, it's just I want to know."

"No! Absolutely not!" Kaoru exclaimed with a disgusted voice. She couldn't begin to tell her how unattractive he really was – who knew his true age?

"Okay, just making sure because that never ends up well, you know?"

"Right. Okay, my turn, do you like Enishi?"

"Maybe." Megumi said, her cheeks going pink.

Kaoru bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that her feelings for him wouldn't deepen or turn into anything serious. "Get to know him first."

"Uh huh, don't worry."

Kaoru wasn't done with worrying. During the weekend she constantly saw the two of them together. She asked Megumi about it at night, and she would only reply with giggles and phrases such as "we're only studying," which Kaoru did not believe at all.

On Monday afternoon, the door to the English classroom suddenly swung open to reveal the headmaster and two extremely beautiful people. One was a girl of short stature whose long, black hair was pulled back into a tight braid and the other was a lean man who was at least a foot taller than her with sharp features.

Girls gasped at the boy and guys ogled at the girl. Kaoru wanted to pass out when she realized how pale they were. _Another group of vampires?_ How long was this going to continue?

"Is every vampire within the area coming here?" She hissed angrily to herself.

"What?"

"Huh?" She looked over to Megumi who was staring at her with confusion.

"What did you just say?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just muttering to myself…how beautiful they are." She stuttered.

"I _know_. It's insane how many gorgeous people we're getting in this school." Megumi whispered before sighing at the tall boy.

Kaoru looked at Hiko and was shocked to find a taint of rage in his features as well. _At least I'm not the only one who's annoyed_, she thought as she gripped her pencil tightly.

"Kaoru, your nose is twitching."

"What?"

"You must be really pissed about something because you _never_ twitch your nose."

Kaoru pursed her lips together and forced herself to relax. She would simply visit Seijuro at the end of the day and _demand_ an explanation from him.

"This is Aoshi Shinomori and Misao Makimachi." The headmaster said, putting his hands on each of their shoulders. "They're exchange students from Japan so I hope you make them feel welcome." He explained, grinning.

Kaoru was very suspicious – the way the headmaster was holding their shoulders made it seem like he was more familiar with them. She thought back to that night in the infirmary wing when she had first woken up and he had visited her. He looked at her amulet that wasn't in curiosity as most people did – he looked at it as if he knew what properties the stone had. She wasn't sure what to make of that possible conclusion, so she brushed it aside for the time being.

The headmaster left the room, leaving the two "exchange" students standing in the doorway. Misao looked at the group of students with contained excitement while Aoshi looked down on the floor, almost as if he wished he was anywhere but this school.

"There are two empty desks at the end of this row." Hiko said, pointing to the bottom row to the seats closest to the door. Misao quickly sat in her seat, her hands laced together with her back straight. A lot of the students giggled, including Kaoru, at her eagerness. Aoshi, however, sat in his chair, looking very awkward in Kaoru's eyes because of his height and her lack of belief that he was seventeen, and had a sullen look on his face.

Professor Seijuro walked back to his desk and sat down in his chair, took a breath Kaoru knew was completely unnecessary, and looked up at the students. "So, talk to me about _The Catcher in the Rye_. Just because I will not be giving you quizzes on your reading, doesn't mean I won't know if you've read it. Trust me, I will know."

Everyone shuddered at that comment before over half the students raised their hands, trying to prove that they weren't slackers. During the class, Kaoru gazed out the window and was shocked to see the orange cat peering in through the window. She looked down at the two vampires on the bottom row and was ever more shocked to see Misao nudge Aoshi, give a small point to the window, and grin.

* * *

Kaoru managed to have at least one class with each of the new vampires. She had Physics and Pre-Calculus with Misao and she had history with Aoshi. To her extreme horror, each of her core classes had at least one vampire. At the end of the day, she didn't want to see Professor Seijuro, just for the sake of not having to see another vampire. However, she knew that she had to complain about the new additions to the vampire family at Malachite Academy. 

She was fuming on the way to the English apartment, which frightened some of the lingering freshmen in the hallways. Trying to calm herself, she took deep, long breaths before turning into a corridor to the entrance of the English classroom. However, when she had her hand on the door knob, she heard voices from inside. She pressed her ear up to the door and listened.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Hiko asked furiously.

"This was her idea, not mine." A low, but calming voice said which belonged to Aoshi.

"We couldn't get anything from just _observing _from the _outside_! We need to get _inside_ to learn more about him!" A voice that Kaoru recognized to be Misao's said with intensity, as if it was a sport's game.

"This is very suspicious, Misao! You cannot just enter the school like that!" Kaoru heard Seijuro sigh loudly. "Why did _you two_ have to be sent? And _you!_ Why didn't you stop her, Aoshi?"

"Hiko, I have been married to her for over one hundred years. If I knew how, we would not be in this situation."

Kaoru's eyes widened. She knew that the two of them were always together when they could, but she never would've guessed they were married. When she thought about it, she realized they did act like a married couple – at lunch they would never speak to each other, as if they were satisfied with their company and words were no longer necessary.

"That's exactly why I'm a bachelor." Seijuro muttered. There was a light tap on the other side of the door, as if someone had jumped and landed on the ground on the balls of his feet. "Ah, I was wondering when you would show up – your stupid cat has been watching my honors class today."

"Hardly the time for theatric entrances." Aoshi stated.

"Oh! I haven't seen you in thirty years!" Misao squealed in delight.

"This isn't a social call." A smooth, male voice said. Kaoru immediately recognized it to be Kenshin's, much to her relief and happiness. "It has been a long time, _shisho_."

Seijuro snorted. "What has happened to that dense brain of yours? Do you realize what you've gotten yourself into? What you've gotten the whole House of Mezaris into? Honestly, you've really –"

All of a sudden, Kaoru felt herself being pulled into the classroom and was shocked to find herself being held by Misao by her neck. Her eyes widened as she looked into Misao's suddenly cold, green eyes.

"A mortal has been listening." She hissed as her fangs extended. The hold on her neck tightened.

As Kaoru whimpered, she felt her amulet grow very hot on her chest. As if Misao felt it too, she ripped her hand off her throat with a cry. Kaoru fell to the floor, her legs unable to support her as she inhaled and exhaled sharply.

"Where did she get that?" Misao spat. Kaoru raised her head to see Misao pointing at the amulet around her neck. She looked at her other hand and saw it was burnt horribly, looking like a third degree burn.

Aoshi reached into his pocket and placed a yellow jewel into her injured hand. Kaoru watched with astonishment as Misao's hand began to heal. She heard quiet footsteps coming toward her and looked up to see Kenshin standing over her with a gloved hand stretched out.

"Every time we meet is under horrible circumstances." He said sadly, hoisting her up.

"You've met her more than once." Seijuro stated rather than asked. "How do you know her beyond the day of the murder?"

"He saved me eleven years ago from another vampire." Kaoru said quietly.

Hiko stared at her amulet for a moment with an emotionless expression. "So you were the one who gave her that. I thought I recognized it. How did you get it back?"

Kenshin's face turned stern as he gave him a warning look. "Never you mind."

"What a rude way to speak to your former teacher." Seijuro said, but with a smirk.

"Teacher?" Kaoru blurted.

"Yes, Hiko was once my teacher, but for a different subject." Kenshin said, his face breaking into a small smile.

"This is not the place to be discussing that subject matter." Aoshi said as he inspected Misao's hand for any other burns. "After all, you did manage to let her eavesdrop."

"There was no way _shisho_, or any vampire for that matter, would have sensed her while she is wearing that amulet. You know the properties of almandine." Kenshin replied.

"Where the hell did you find _that_ big of a stone?" Misao asked, walking over to them while dragging Aoshi.

"Oh, it was a while ago." Kenshin said vaguely, looking out the window. "Where is Nyoko?" He muttered, putting his chin in his hand, pondering.

"I can't believe you still have her. Stupid fur-ball, I still have a scar from her." Seijuro muttered, rolling his eyes.

Kenshin glared at his former teacher. "Of course I still have her, she was my creator, after all."

"Nobody stays with their creators…" Aoshi murmured.

"Huh?" Kaoru said, suddenly very lost.

They looked to her as if they just realized she was in the room as well. "Maybe we should re-locate to your office?" Misao offered. Seijuro nodded as he led the group out of the classroom and into the hallway.

"Oh, God." Kaoru sighed, putting her head in her head, suddenly feeling very dizzy. It managed to hit her that she was surrounded by four vampires, something that she did not wish for during her meditation.

Kenshin lightly put his arm around her shoulders. "I am very sorry about all of this." He said softly.

"You apologize too much." She breathed.

"So I've been told." He said with a light chuckle.

"Professor Seijuro!" A feminine voice cried out. Aoshi winced at the high voice as did Seijuro when the source of the voice came running to the group. She was a senior who happened to have a liking toward older men. If only she knew how old he really was, Kaoru thought, trying to hold back a chuckle.

"Ah, Sakura, what can I do for you?" Seijuro asked, looking directly into her face. She was not wearing her school uniform and instead was wearing a shirt bearing an indecent amount of cleavage and low rise jeans.

"I had a question about my last paper…but I'll just talk to you about it tomorrow." She said, sighing. Her sharp eyes suddenly landed on Kenshin, who was eyeing her with uneasiness. Kaoru actually found it quite cute. "I don't think I've ever seen you here." She suddenly said.

From behind her, Hiko put his shaking head into his hand. Kenshin, thinking quick on his feet said, "I have been taking a tour of this school, and I am considering enrolling." He lied effortlessly.

Her eyes widened into saucers. "Really? Oh, you should! This is a _very_ good school." She said, intending her sentence to have another meaning. Kenshin's eyes slightly widened before giving her a timid smile. "Well, I will see you in class tomorrow, Professor!" She said, waving before strutting away.

"It still surprises me how _forward_ girls are these days…" Kenshin muttered.

"Are you really going to come here?" She asked, shocked, but very happy. He caught her happy tone and a fleeting look of worry passed his face.

"Well," He started, letting a small smile form his face."The law I mentioned the other night is a bit contradictory, don't you think? Human contact is a bit of a necessity."

Seijuro looked back to the couple before shaking his head.

When they reached his office, he immediately locked the door. Misao jumped onto his desk and crossed her legs, a pleasant smile on her face. Aoshi eyed her and seemed to be trying to hold back a chuckle as he leaned up against the wall. Kenshin lead Kaoru to an open chair across from Aoshi. She gratefully sat down and Kenshin stood next to her with his arms crossed.

Seijuro leaned against the door and looked at everyone in the eye. "So…where you do you propose we start, my _baka deshi_?"

* * *

A/N: Heh…sorry people! The whole explanation is going to take at least another 4 pages…which would make the chapter a bit long. I hope you enjoyed it – Kenshin came back :) 

_Shisho-_teacher

_Baka deshi-_idiot apprentice, pupil


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Sorry for the slightly late update - I had lacrosse camp from last Sunday to Wednesday so I didn't have much time this week to write. I'm also really sorry to say this, but I can't update this week (puts on goaie equipment to prepare for the throwing of extremely hard objects) I know! I'm horrible! But my cousin is over right now for the week and then I have to get ready for _another_ lacrosse camp. I'll definitely post the next chapter the weekend of the 27th.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Four

Kenshin sighed, looked up and blew his red bangs away. "I am no longer your student. Why must you insist on calling me that? Don't think I don't know what you call me to your friends!"

Seijuro chuckled. "I'm your superior, student or not. Now, I believe this girl wants some answers to questions that _you_ seeded in her mind."

Kenshin sighed once more before looking to Kaoru. "So, what questions do you have?" He asked kindly.

"So many." She blurted before thinking about which questions she wanted answered first. "Okay…uh…that cat. The orange one – it has been watching me."

"Then I will tell about vampires and how they are made." He said, re-crossing his legs and looking up toward the ceiling. "Contrary to accepted belief, vampires do not have the ability to change humans. You must know this. Even though vampires say they can, mostly to threaten humans into their control, they really cannot. What changes a human into a vampire is a demon, a shadow of the night."

"So…when you say your creator…you mean…_that cat changed you?_"

"Yes. Demons can change their forms, but normally have one that is natural to them. The natural form of my creator is a cat. Normally they have one that can blend into the human world."

"So…the cat that changed you…why do you still…?"

"Well…" He said, eyeing the others with uneasiness. "She felt bad about changing me."

She noticed that he was uncomfortable talking about being changed, so she decided to change the topic. "Okay, so demon changes a human into a vampire, but a vampire cannot change a human. Got it. So, why did you give me this?" She said, holding out her amulet into the light.

"I already told you – to protect you from creatures of the night."

"You mean vampires and these demon…things?"

"Yes."

"Why though?"

"What do you mean?"

"It would've been fine – I didn't _need_ that. What were the chances of me getting attacked by another vampire?"

"Because of your aura. It's stained with the blood of the vampire that attacked your family. You are a threat to the vampires." Tears started to fill her eyes as she thought of that horrid night. Seeing her tears, he closed his eyes for a moment before his face turned apologetic. "I'm sorry…" He said softly, his eyes hidden behind his bangs.

There was silence in the office for a few moments until Aoshi cleared his throat. Kenshin whipped his head up and looked toward Seijuro. "Do you have any other questions?" He asked.

"Yeah. How did your hand heal?" She asked, pointing to Misao.

"Oh, topaz!" Misao replied cheerfully. Kaoru looked at her blankly, waiting for an explanation. "Gemstones are used to aid and hinder vampires. Their different properties that are myths in your world, actually apply to the world of vampires. The most important gemstones are garnet, which we call almandine, diamond, alexandrite, ruby, peridot, sapphire, and topaz."

Kaoru was beginning to feel light headed from the amount of information. "Okay, so what do all of these stones do?" She managed to ask.

"Topaz, as you saw, has healing powers and every vampire has one. Oh, Kenshin! Show her yours! It's so freaking _huge!_ I'm so jealous; I wish I had one that big."

Kenshin chuckled, reaching into his side coat pocket and taking out a yellow stone about the size of a baseball. "Wow…that is a big topaz." Kaoru agreed. She vaguely wondered how much it would cost if he sold it to a jeweler. "So what do the others do?"

"Well garnets, as you've witnessed on me, ward of vampires, so we don't like them very much. Peridots ward off evil when set in gold; diamonds are the strongest, naturally. My kunai and Aoshi and Kenshin's swords have diamond in it. Also, the Elders of each House have big ass diamond rings. Alexandrite provides a vampire protection in the shadows. They're very rare – don't you have one, Kenshin?"

Kenshin nodded, holding up his gloved right hand and wiggling his pinky finger. "It was a gift from Hiko for surviving my time with him." He explained with a small smile.

Seijuro grunted. "Just finish explaining all of the stones."

"Sapphires supposedly have the ability to make people see the future, but I think, and others would agree with me, that it's complete bullshit." Misao continued.

"So why is it important if people don't believe in it?" Kaoru asked.

"Because it was really important in the past…I don't know…we just count it. Anyway, the last one, ruby, symbolizes love and passion." Misao sighed lovingly. "Kind of like how a diamond represents in the human world when given to a significant other. I have one from Aoshi." She said, holding out her left hand excitedly, as if she had just received it only a few hours ago. Kaoru looked to Aoshi in bewilderment, but was looking down to the floor, in deep thought.

"It is strange…that a vampire would come here…" Aoshi started.

"Maybe that vampire wasn't completely psycho…" Misao continued, suddenly switching from her romantic mood earlier to a more serious one.

"I think you are being self-centered in thinking that the vampire came here specifically for you. Even though Kenshin is correct – your aura is stained with vampire blood." Seijuro added.

Kaoru flushed. She wasn't trying to put everything on herself – there wasn't any other explanation that made sense to her. "Okay, so what bright ideas do you have then?" She blurted rudely.

"Why is Nenji Kashiwazaki here?" Misao asked suddenly. Kaoru let out a sigh of exasperation – they always changed the subject!

"I knew he wanted to teach…but…headmaster? He's hardly the type of guy to be running an academic school." Aoshi answered.

"How do you know him?" Kaoru inquired finally, being that was one of her earlier questions.

"His great grandfather taught us how to fight during the Meiji era."

"Oh…friends of the family?" She joked weakly.

"You could say that." Misao giggled in amusement.

"There is something in this school." Kenshin said, suddenly getting off from the wall. He began to walk very slowly around the room. "You must have felt it, Hiko. It is powerful."

"Misao may be right…that crazed vampire must have not been completely insane. It seems his instinct worked both ways – drove by his insatiable desire for blood and for the power that lies within."

All of a sudden, a flash of red came through the window above Aoshi's head and landed on the ground. Kaoru recognized it to the cat that was watching her in English. The cat was no longer than her forearm with fur that matched Kenshin's hair exactly. Her eyes were large and shone fiery amber with black vertical slits for pupils. Two fury tails wrapped around the calf of Kenshin as she stared at Kaoru critically.

"So…this is your creator?" Kaoru asked slowly.

"Yes, this is Nyoko." He simply stated as the demon circled around his legs once before jumping into his arms.

She then started to laugh, confusing Kenshin. "I'm sorry, I really am. It's just…I find it so hard to believe that a house cat can change a person into a blood-sucking creature."

Nyoko hissed loudly before leaping into Kaoru's lap, instantly silencing her laughter.

_I will not allow _anyone_ to insult me. Especially a human._

"She talks? What is this _The Wild Thornberrys?_" Kaoru blurted.

"What is _The Wild Thornberrys?_" Misao asked interestedly.

Nyoko rolled her eyes, which Kaoru knew was not typical of a simple cat.

_I'm a demon, silly girl, so you best deal with it. Now please, let these men…and woman think about this situation – it is clearly beyond your level._

Kaoru gasped in shock at Nyoko's rudeness, but closed her mouth and lowered her head as the cat jumped back into Kenshin's arms. He eyed her suspiciously before placing her down on the ground. "I'd rather you not insult Miss Kaoru, Nyoko."

Nyoko merely hissed before curling up in a corner of the office and closing her eyes.

"Malachite Academy isn't even two hundred years old. It was established in 1846." Kaoru said suddenly, raising her head.

"Really? That's strange – it gives off a feeling of greater age." Kenshin replied, one of his eyebrows rose.

"Maybe it is underground?" Misao offered.

After Misao's comment, everyone began thinking to themselves quietly. Kaoru's thoughts strayed to Megumi and Enishi. She hoped that they were doing activities strictly related to school. "Do you know Enishi?" She asked desperately.

There was a moment of quiet before Kenshin enquired calmly, "Enishi who?"

"Yukishiro."

There was a stifling silence in the office for a second before Kenshin uncharacteristically exploded.

"You failed to mention this to me!" He yelled, glaring at Hiko. Kaoru couldn't help but shudder at Kenshin's uncharacteristic change of emotion.

"You know him?" Hiko asked in an interested tone.

"You should have told me immediately! He needs to leave this school!" Kenshin continued as he shot away from the wall and began pacing quickly. Kaoru sighed in relief, glad that someone else shared her great dislike for the man.

"How do you know of him?" Hiko asked again.

"He…he was Tomoe's great, great, great uncle." Kenshin admitted slowly, looking toward the ground as he spoke. Kaoru looked at everyone quizzically, wondering who Tomoe was. Everyone seemed to know, for their eyes lowered to the ground with a sign of sadness.

Hiko stared at Kenshin blankly. "I _knew_ that girl was trouble. There was something about her…especially after seeing that scar –"

"That is not the point! He needs to be sent far away from this school! Get the House of Mezaris to have him –" Kenshin continued before Aoshi cut him off.

"He hasn't done anything wrong yet. Besides, he has no record. The House of Mezaris will not risk a battle on such a trivial matter."

"What is this House of Mezaris?" Kaoru asked curiously.

"There are six Houses in total and they are governed by at least two Elders. The House of Mezaris is the House for North America and it happens to be very close to here." Kenshin explained.

Hiko sighed loudly. "This is getting rather boring. Go out and explain these things to her. Stay away from the forests – you do not know what is out there."

Kenshin looked as if he was about to object, but instead nodded and gave a slight bow. "I'll be seeing you in class then?" He said with a small smile.

Hiko snorted. "Great. The last thing I want is you again as my student."

"It's so good to see you again, Kenshin!" Misao said cheerfully, jumping off the desk. Aoshi gave a slight nod in agreement. She turned to Kaoru and beamed at her. "I hope we can be good friends! If you can look past the fact that I am the undead and almost killed you."

Kaoru couldn't help but smile slightly and nod. "Sure."

"Brilliant! Let's go, Aoshi, I haven't done Pre-Calculus in over fifty years and I think I need some help." Misao chirped, grabbing Aoshi's hand and skipping out of the office.

"Very strange." Kaoru muttered.

"Indeed." Kenshin agreed, holding out his arm. She chuckled at his formality but took his arm nonetheless.

"Very traditional." She commented as they walked down the empty corridor.

"Old habits die hard." He admitted as they headed to the front doors of the school.

"I can't believe this." She said quietly after a few minutes of a comfortable silence.

"What? The fact that you have been thrust into my world unceremoniously, or is it something else?"

"That you're here." She said, blushing.

Kenshin was quiet for a few moments before saying softly, "It is not wise to blush around vampires. The blood rushing to your cheeks is very tempting."

Kaoru didn't know whether or not the warning was supposed to be complimentary, and merely lowered her eyes to the dirt path under them.

"I'm glad someone else hates that Enishi guy. I didn't trust him from the beginning." She looked to Kenshin before asking, "You will get rid of him, will you? He's…he's trying to charm my best friend now and I really don't trust him."

"He is?" Kenshin asked quietly.

Kaoru stopped walking and turned so her body completely faced him. "He's a nut job. His eyes…it's just…he scares me. I want him away from Megumi." She said with a shaky voice.

He looked at her with a shocked expression. "How can you…?"

"It's so obvious!" She exclaimed before walking quickly down the path. He easily caught up with her in time to catch her next words. "The first time I saw him! He just…_grabbed_ my attention and _froze_ me by just staring at me. I can't look at him in the eyes."

"That is a technique we use to get unwilling donors to give blood." Kenshin explained.

"So what does that mean? He wants me dead?" She shuddered.

He suddenly stopped and put his hands gently on her shoulders, forcing her to look into his deep violet eyes. "I hope you trust no vampire that you know now or meet in the future, but please trust in this promise: I will allow no harm to come to you." He stated softly, but with conviction.

Kaoru's heart began to pound as she stared at his beautiful face. She nodded slowly, his shining violet eyes penetrating her soul, as if he wanted his words to reach her very core. He nodded, removed his hands from her shoulders, and shoved them in the pockets of his black pants.

They had finished their walk around the school in silence before Kaoru asked arbitrarily, "What's with vampires wearing all black?"

His head shot to her, a smile of amusement growing on his face. "It helps us blend into the night, of course. But we cannot deny the fact it makes us look stylish. Since we are damned to be this way for eternity, why not try and look cool during it?"

Kaoru laughed out loud, relishing in it since she hadn't laughed like that since before her professor's death. Kenshin watched her with sad eyes that had seen the scene before him in another time. She noticed this and her smile faded into a frown.

"Who was Tomoe?" She inquired quietly.

Kenshin immediately snapped out of his reveries and looked at her with slightly pained eyes. "I killed her."

* * *

Kaoru sat on her bed in a state of numbness. She knew Kenshin was able to kill – as he killed both vampires that threatened her life – but she didn't think of him as the kind of person to kill a _human girl_.

She knew Tomoe had to be a human girl, since she was the great, great, great niece of Enishi. But after his confession, he refused to talk about it. She wanted more information about her death: was it an accident? Was it premeditated?

All that Kaoru knew for certain without being told was that Kenshin had loved Tomoe, Enishi knew about Kenshin's involvement in her death, and he was there for revenge.

The door suddenly swung open to reveal Megumi grinning broadly, which worried Kaoru. She hopelessly thought it had to do with something other than Enishi, but she was mistaken when Megumi blurted, "I think he wants to ask me out."

"Oh…really?"

Megumi's face screwed in confusion. "Are you okay? You look really depressed. Is it because of that girl?"

It was Kaoru's turn to look confused. "Huh? What girl?"

"The red haired girl that you were outside with. I saw the two of you while I was washing my hands in the bathroom."

Kaoru burst out laughing. "She is actually a _he_. His name is Kenshin."

Megumi stared at her with a shocked expression. "_Really?_ Wow, what guy would grow out his hair like that?"

"Professor Seijuro's hair is just as long."

"Fair point. So who is this Kenshin?" Megumi asked interestedly.

"He's transferring. I'm to be his…sort of helper."

Megumi wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh, I see. How very lucky of you to get a guy. Is he hot?"

"Very." Kaoru blurted without thinking. She blushed when she realized how quickly she answered.

Megumi laughed. "I'm excited to meet him! How weird is that – we've never gotten four new students within one week! Actually, it's a little suspicious – you would think the murder would prevent people from wanting to attend."

Kaoru shrugged, thankful that she had the right to not know herself. "Yeah, it is weird. Well, it's not as weird as the fact that Kenshin has had Seijuro as a teacher before."

"Wow, that is weird. Maybe Kenshin will be in our English class so we can see how they interact?"

Kaoru was beyond sure that any class she had with Enishi, she would also have with Kenshin, which included English. "Yeah, maybe. How did studying with Enishi go?"

"It went really well! He's so smart, Kaoru. He really knows his Biology."

"That's good." Kaoru sighed with relief.

"What's with that sigh? Were you afraid that we would have passionate sex in the library or something?" Megumi joked.

"No…but…you know the way you've been talking about him…" Kaoru stammered.

"Don't worry – I'm not easy." Megumi stated seriously.

"I know…it's just Enishi has got you all…wacked." Kaoru ended rather lamely.

"True – he is really different from every guy here…" Megumi started.

_Yeah, because he's a crazy vampire_, Kaoru thought to herself.

"But I'm not going to throw myself at him like that."

"Okay, good." Kaoru sighed, but she was still concerned. Enishi wasn't a normal boy – his charms weren't that of a normal sixteen-year-old. "So…when did dye his hair?" She asked after a moment.

"When he was thirteen. Rebellion." Megumi answered.

"You'd think for rebellion you'd do red…or blue…but silver?"

Megumi shrugged. "You have to admit, it's unique. But enough about Enishi…what about _Kenshin_? I saw the two of you walking with linked arms." She said with a sly smile.

Kaoru blushed but smiled. "He's very traditional."

The next day in English class, Kenshin came in a few minutes later with a pass in his gloved hand. Kaoru briefly wondered why he wore gloves. _I'll ask him later_, she thought to herself as she smiled brightly at him as he handed his pass to Professor Seijuro. Kenshin looked at her and gave a small smile.

"This is Kenshin Himura and he will be the new and _final_ addition to this class. Please take a seat next to Mr. Watanabe." Seijuro said rather tersely. Kenshin nodded, walking up to the second row and taking a seat behind a girl that was ogling him openly.

Kaoru looked to Enishi on the other side of the classroom and noted with horror that he looked absolutely _livid_. His face was grotesquely twisted into anger and she wondered if anyone else noted his facial expression.

Through class, she watched Kenshin try and focus his attention to Seijuro, but was finding it hard due to the fact that Enishi was shooting him death glares. At one point, Kenshin looked up and behind and gave him a look that clearly said that they would be talking after the class. She wasn't sure if that was best since Enishi didn't seem the type of person who wanted to reason with anyone with words.

"For homework, I want you to finish _The Great Gatsby_ and make sure that you are prepared to write an essay for it." Seijuro said, sitting back in his chair. There was a collective groan around the class, to which he smirked at. "I know, it's _so_ painful to write a three page paper that's double spaced, but you will live."

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period and the beginning of the lunch. Kaoru took her time putting away her notes as her classmates shuffled past her. She looked up to find Megumi and instead saw her talking with Enishi, whose smile was strained. Kaoru shook her head and walked down to the row Kenshin sat in.

"Don't get yourself killed…right?" Kaoru whispered nervously.

Kenshin looked at her with a slightly shocked expression before he said, "I actually want you with me…as a reminder to him to not start a fight. At least not today."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "_At least not today?_ Kenshin, you can't fight about this! It's completely barbaric!"

He put a gloved finger to his lips, wanting her to lower her voice. "He may not be in his right mind…but he's not an idiot." He only said before looking past her shoulder to wear Enishi stood alone, glaring at him.

Kenshin sighed and walked past Kaoru, careful to make sure he stood in front of her. He waited patiently for Enishi to begin since he seemed to have nothing to say.

"It's been a while." Enishi started calmly.

"Yes, it has." Kenshin replied with an equally calm voice.

Enishi looked beyond Kenshin's shoulder to where Kaoru was watching him. "You know why I'm here." He stated rather than asked.

"Yes." Kenshin's voice was full of sadness. If she was Enishi, she would have instantly softened her features, but Enishi continued to glower at him coldly.

"I'm not going to rest until I see your body twitching and burning on the ground." Enishi hissed, his fangs protruding from his mouth. Kaoru shuddered at that description, but Kenshin stood his ground.

"Do not involve anyone. It is just between you and me." Kenshin said strongly.

Enishi's face twisted into a scary grin that Kaoru was sure was going to haunt her dreams. "Oh, but what would revenge be if I didn't return the favor and inflict you with the same pain?" He eyed Kaoru with his gleaming turquoise eyes, making her shudder once more.

"Leave the young one out of this." Kenshin hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously as his own fangs extended.

Kaoru was rather flattered at the fact that Kenshin wanted to protect her, but she wasn't happy with him calling her a "young one".

"If you must satisfy your need for revenge, so be it. Then let it be between us." Kaoru said slowly.

Kenshin whipped his head around. "_No_, you will _not_ be involved in this."

"It's too late anyway. He's had his eye on me since the first day he came here. Isn't that right?"

Enishi grinned. "Observant human. Both of you better watch your backs. Keep your friends close, not that any of it will make a difference. I will see you suffer Himura." With that, he strode past Kenshin and Kaoru and out of the classroom.

"Why would you say that?" Kenshin rounded on Kaoru.

"It didn't matter if I said it or not. I am involved, regardless of your wants."

Kenshin closed his mouth and ran a hand through his bangs. "This is not turning out well at all." He stated obviously.

Kaoru sighed and patted his shoulder. "Well, that's your fault…you just _had_ to love a girl with a psychopathic ancestor."

Kenshin chuckled humorlessly before shaking his head. "I do not want you walking around the corridors without someone. Preferably, I want Aoshi, Misao, or I with you at all times, but I know that is asking for much."

"I'll be okay. He won't attack me during the school day."

"It's after school hours I am worried about. Vampires thrive at night. It is when humans are most vulnerable and we are dominant." He suddenly glanced up toward the window to find Nyoko watching the pair with serious amber eyes. "Can you please watch Miss Kaoru for a while?" He murmured softly, his eyes locking on Nyoko's. She gave a small nod before disappearing out of sight. "This is the best I can do for now." He said to Kaoru, looking at her with apologetic eyes.

"I'm not totally helpless, you know. I have my amulet." She said, patting her chest. "I have four vampires on my side. And I also have some pepper spray in my room. I think I'm pretty safe."

Kenshin laughed. "I do not know if pepper spray works on vampires, but it should be interesting to see." He said, holding out his arm. "Lunch?"

Kaoru took his arm readily. "Yeah, I'm starving."

* * *

A/N: So...a lot of information there! You know why Enishi is here, a little bit about the vampire world, and about Kenshin's past. I'll never know what you think unless you review - so press that little button at the bottom of the screen and give me something:)

Thanks for all the reviews - you've been awesome!

MissGoalie


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Wooo! I'm back from lacrosse camp (which was SO much fun) and I'm very happy to be back home.

Just to tell you, about 7 pages of this chapter were originally handwritten during my camp – since I finished Harry Potter on the first night there (go figure) ((IT WAS AMAZINGG)) I was extremely bored and the only thing I could do was write on the back of my schedule for the camp with a borrowed pen.

Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Five

The tension between Enishi and Kenshin was steadily building as the days went by. The week before Halloween, everyone in the school felt it, but not as much as Kaoru. She felt she was being suffocated by the vampires that were in such close proximity to her. The garnet amulet constantly burned on her chest whenever Aoshi, Misao, or Enishi were near despite the first two being on her side so to speak. Perhaps it was Kenshin's warnings to her that afternoon, but she believed it was the way the three of them would remove their focuses from the board and to the pulsing neck in from of them…

Kaoru winced in history class, looked down a row and saw Kenshin turn to meet her gaze. Her stone immediately cooled on her chest, acting as a balm to her inflamed skin. He was the only vampire that did not make her feel in danger. She couldn't deny that he still made her nervous, but for different reasons…

The bell rang and interrupted Kaoru's thoughts from continuing down that dangerous path of contemplation. She gathered her stuff together, wincing when Enishi passed her, the amulet white hot. When she bent down to get her bag, she saw a pair of shoes near it. Although they were the standard uniform for the boys at Malachite Academy, she knew who it was.

"Does it hurt all the time?" He asked softly, his jewel eyes shining a bit unnaturally.

"Yeah, but it's fine now." She replied, looking at him curiously. His red hair seemed a bit brighter and shinier, as if he had came out of a shampoo commercial. His skin seemed whiter than normal, almost translucent. "Are you okay?" She asked finally. If she didn't know any better, she would say he looked even more stunning than usual.

"Don't worry about me yet. By tomorrow I will be normal." He said, confusing her. "May I see?" He pointed to where her necklace rested.

Kaour nodded and unbuttoned the first button of her white shirt, revealing the pendant restign on her smooth skin. He reached out a gloved hand, stopped an inch away from it and looked to her, silently asking permission. She nodded and he lifted the stone away from her skin and saw with horror the skin was extremely red, almost purple, as if she had gotten a horrible sunburn.

"I would say you could carry it in your pocket, but it must touch your skin in order to receive its full protection."

"Can I put Aloe on it or something?" She joked weakly. "I'm going home for the Halloween weekend." She said, suddenly remembering.

"You are?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah. My parents, as I told you what they're like, are very superstitious of Halloween. Besides, they think it'll connect me with my parents. Day of the dead and all that." She shrugged.

"That's good…to get away from this."

Although she didn't want to admit it, she was more than willing to go back to her parents because of the indescribable tension between the vampires. "I better go…I have to do this packet for Physics." She said, giving a small wave before leaving the empty classroom.

"Wait!" Kenshin called, walking briskly to where she was in the corridor. "We are all going to search the school tomorrow night, Nenji Kashiwazaki gave us permission…including you." The last part was said very hesitantly, as if he did not approve at all.

"Me?" Kaoru blurted, shocked. "But…"

"I have fought against bringing you…but they have promised to keep you fully protected…and I would not finally allow it if it would be life threatening. Also…they believe that some powers need to be unlocked by mortals."

Kaoru nodded dumbly, pretending to understand. Didn't the burn on her chest say anything about how she felt? But she looked into his eyes and realized it was about something she could never understand unless she became one of them.

* * *

The next day, Kaoru was in Pre-Calculus when she was taken out by a sullen woman who worked in the main office. After she closed the door to her classroom, Kaoru immediately asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, it's that horrible detective Akira Kiyosato. He's wanted to talk to you for a few weeks, but the headmaster wouldn't have it until the head of the police department came."

"The _head?_" Kaoru repeated, her eyes widening into saucers.

"Apparently there have been other attacks like this." Kaoru's jaw dropped to the floor. "But you haven't heard it from me." The office woman added quickly before reaching the door to the main office. Kaoru peered through the window in the door and saw detective Akira Kiyosato scanning over his small notepad. Gripping her amulet tightly for a moment, she strode into the office, feeling slightly weary of him already.

"Ah, Kaoru Kamiya?" He said with a questioning tone. She felt no need to confirm this and remained silent. "I need to take you in." He stated simply.

"What?" Kaoru exclaimed. "Why? Why can't you just interview me here?"

"Because this is a very serious case."

"I'm a suspect. You thinking I killed her, that I actually –"

"Kiyosato! She is not an adult! She will be interviewed here." A powerful voice exploded. Kaoru wanted to hug her headmaster as he strode into the office, glaring at the gaping detective.

When Kiyosato seemed to have collected himself, he said with obnoxious authority, "I need a room where Kamiya and I will not be disturbed."

Kaoru felt her nose twitch in disgust as two secretaries scurried to clear out a conference room. Within a few minutes, Kiyosato and Kaoru were in the conference room with him sitting on the side closest to the door and her on the other. He laid out his notes in front of him and flipped to a blank page. He took a tape recorder from the inside of his jacket and set it on the table, pressing the record button.

"When did you have class with Professor Yamakazi?"

"First period." She answered coolly.

"Did anything happen in class between the two of you during this particular class, or any past class?"

"You think I killed her." She stated once more, shaking her head in shock.

"Just answer the question, Miss Kamiya." He said. She could tell by the tone of his voice he was running on thin patience.

Not wanting to lie and be in trouble for the law against lying to a detective, she answered honestly, "She took away my amulet, which was understandable because I was openly not paying attention." Her voice was controlled, and she shrugged, to prove to him that it didn't matter.

He jotted a few words on the pad before looking up at her, trying to pierce through her blue eyes with his brown. "Really? According to another student, you were rather frazzled and upset."

Her temper flared. "Who was this student?" She asked, although she had a small feeling as to who it could've been, knowing her horrible luck.

"That is none of your business. When did your professor say you could pick up your necklace?"

."After classes." She whispered.

She could see the triumph in his eyes. "So you went to her office?"

"Yeah…but she was alive." She found herself blurting. Feeling something soft brush her knee, she lowered her eyes to find Nyoko staring at her with ferocious intensity, as if trying to enter her thoughts…

"Alive?" Kiyosato blurted, shocked by the statement as well.

"She gave me back the amulet and I walked out. Halfway down the corridor, I realized I wanted to make a conference about the paper we handed in a week ago since everyone in the class would want to soon. I knocked on the door and she wouldn't answer…then I opened the door and I saw…" Kaoru trailed off with her voice cracking.

"And?" He prompted.

She couldn't glare at him as she flashed back to the blood scene. "Blood…everywhere…so much…" She whimpered, putting her hand to her mouth.

"Yes? Continue."

"THAT MONSTER WAS HOLDING HER WITH HER BLOOD ON HIM!" She screamed before freaking down into sobs. "HE KILLED HER! HE KILLED HER!" She repeated, her hands gripping her hair. Just thin, the nurse and headmaster burst through the door, their faces livid.

"What are you doing to this poor girl?" The nurse Ms. Miyagi yelled, running over to Kaoru and putting her arms around her shoulders, before whispering calming words in her ear.

"I'm calling the head of your department to see you are taken off this case immediately. How _dare_ you treat one of my students thus?" The headmaster exclaimed. He was about to drag Akira Kiyosato out of the room before a small voice told him to wait.

Kaoru wiped her eyes and stared at Kiyosato with fierce loathing. "I passed out. I didn't wake up until I saw that _thing_ on the ground with his head severed. I think passed out a second time and woke up in the infirmary wing. That's it." She stood up and brushed passed everyone.

"Would you like to rest in the infirmary wing for a bit? You don't have to go back to class." Ms. Miyagi called when Kaoru was by the door.

"No, I'm okay, thanks. I really should go to my next class."

"Kaoru, could you come with me to my office?" The headmaster asked kindly.

She nodded, opening the door for him and leaving Akira in the conference way. They walked together in silence to the room next to the main office. He took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. His office was roomy with a cherry wood desk in the middle and bookshelves stacked around the back of the room. Kaoru took a seat in a rather uncomfortable cushioned chair while the headmaster sat in a big leather chair behind his desk.

"I'm very sorry about him, I had no idea he was going to act like that." He said honestly.

"Well, I had to clear my name apparently." She said rather bitterly, staring at a dark blemish on the desk for a few minutes.

"He suspected you were involved or related somehow. He's smart." He admitted, looking displeased.

She almost forgot that he knew about vampires as well, which made a question come to mind. "Is it true? I'm allowed to come with them tonight?"

"Yes, I'm actually urging it, much to Mr. Himura's displeasure. I think it would be best in case they do find something and they need to contact me."

"I don't understand this, Professor Kashiwazaki – what they're looking for."

"It's curious really…they aren't sure either since Enishi might not be interested in it…or know of it. Of course," He started when he saw her shocked expression, "it's all speculation. I wouldn't worry, as intimidating as they are; they are kind and just want a bit of acceptance." She nodded slowly, understanding what he said. The bell rang, breaking the silence. "Do you feel alright?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm just going to go to English." She felt a pang in her heart, reminded of her late professor.

They said their farewells and Kaoru immersed herself into the crowd. Quite a number of people stared at her before she realized that her hair must be a mess because she was pulling on her earlier. She pulled her hair down and combed through it with her hands. As soon as she dropped them, her left one became enclosed by a gloved one. Turning her head, she saw Kenshin staring at her with sympathetic eyes. His eyes weren't shining as brightly as the day before and his skin was back to being ivory.

No words were said as she squeezed his hand as tightly as she could, trying to block away the tears, her heart beating a bit faster than normal. When they entered the classroom, Enishi eyed their entwined fingers with a vicious smirk. Noticing this, the two let go and walked to their assigned seats without looking at each other.

Kaoru watched the rest of her classmates file in and froze when she saw Aoshi and Misao stroll in. She smiled at the two of them tentatively, feeling her amulet burn. Misao beamed back and Aoshi nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Kaoru smiled fully in slight relief, her amulet not burning on her skin as horribly as before.

* * *

That evening, Kaoru sat on her bed staring at Megumi's with a heavy heart. She had been "studying" with Enishi for over two hours, and if today did any sort of damage, it was pushing Enishi's plans with Megumi forward. Kaoru knew Megumi was interviewed by Akira Kiyosato, but when she realized Nyoko was putting words into her mouth, she knew Enishi somehow was doing the same thing to Megumi.

Kaour wondered why Enishi would want her to be accused for being involved with the murder. Was it to draw attention away from the suspiciousness of the case? Like how her professor's body had almost no blood left in it? That her neck was ripped open by something clearly not human…

At that thought, Megumi entered their room with mused hair, extremely bright eyes, and deep red lips. Kaoru didn't need to ask how their study session went.

"Kaoru," Megumi moaned, floating over to where Kaoru sat on her bed, "I never…he was…" She couldn't find words to describe how amazing he was at something he had decades to perfect, Kaoru thought wryly. Her face must've projected the feeling of her thoughts for Megumi looked at her with eyes full of annoyance and hurt. "I know you hate Enishi, but could you _please_ understand that I really like him?"

Kaoru looked guiltily, at her hands. It was true she had been openly objecting Enishi for the past two weeks. "It's just…Kenshin…he…" Kaoru stated.

"He obviously has a problem with him!" Megumi finished for her, walking to her own bed and sitting cross-legged on it. "Whatever Kenshin has been telling you is complete bull. Enishi had a really rough childhood with his older sister dying in front of him."

Kaoru froze for a moment. Tomoe was Enishi's older sister? Kaoru became very confused for a moment. _Well of course he would lie about it, how weird it would sound if he saw his great-great niece die,_ she thought. If he really did witness her death, it explained his wish to return the favor. However, the question still stood – why did Kenshin kill Tomoe?

"He gives me funny looks, especially when I'm with Kenshin. And I think he's not what he appears to be." Koaru listed, trying to make her listen. "Why won't you consider or just accept my opinion of him? After all, friends come before guys in the dictionary and in life."

Megumi didn't smile at that comment. "I think you're just jealous because of the fact that you haven't done anything with a guy since eighth grade, if you count one kiss as something." She spat.

Althought Kaoru would never admit it, that comment stung. Yes, Kaoru was jealous of Megumi whenever she had a boyfriend, but Megumi didn't need to stoop that low. "That was my first kiss, Megumi. Of course it was something." Kaoru said quietly.

Megumi's eyes softened apologetically. "I'm sorry, of course it was, but come on, trust me on this."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes, thinking about the situation, Megumi would be safer if she remained ignorant of Enishi's true being…. She would be informed soon, Kaoru thought. "Okay." She said out loud and added in her mind, "for now."

For the rest of the night, Kaoru tried to busy herself with small activities, hoping to clear her mind without making Megumi suspicious by lighting candles or doing spells. Instead, she tried "normal" ways to clear the mind, which didn't quite work out. She eventually gave up and took out a bottle of chamomile. When Megumi questioned it, since she recognized the scent, Kaoru lied and said she was beginning to feel stressed out by all the homework they've been getting.

By the time Nyoko came into her room, it was a little past eleven and Megumi was fast asleep in her bed. Kaoru silently slipped out of her room, taking a jacket and a pair of Converse.

"Where are they?" Kaoru mouthed to Nyoko as she tied her sneakers on.

_We are meeting in front of the headmaster's office. Stay quiet and follow me._

Kaoru obeyed tiptoed down the corridors, following closely behind Nyoko. They quietly opened a back door as a short cut to get to the main building. Finding the headmaster's window, Kaoru slid it open as Nyoko ran through the wall. She clumsily got through the window and stumbled on the polished wood of the head master's office. When she opened the door, everyone else was already there – Professor Seijuro, Aoshi, Misao, and Kenshin.

"Okay, we're going to search the lower levels of the school." Seijuro said with an extremely low voice.

Kaoru felt blind in the dark, but was guided through the halls by Kenshin's looped arm. She clutched his arm tightly as they all walked down the one flight of stairs where the gym locker rooms and the boiler room are. Seijuro took out a set of keys from his pocket and managed to pick the correct one to open the boiler room.

"Is this necessary?" Kaoru whispered, looking into the dark, steaming room with unease.

"I feel it here." Aoshi stated.

"No, she's right." Kenshin said, breaking away from Kaoru and started walking the opposite way of the locker rooms.

"Where are you going _baka?_" Seijuro hissed.

"It's here. Not in the boiler room."

"Good." Kaoru sighed, walking to where Kenshin was.

"It's…in the wall."

Kaoru reached a hand out to find Kenshin and ended up placing a hand on his shoulder. All of a sudden, her amulet started to glow with a radiant red, bathing everyone in crimson. The cracks in the wall under Kenshin's hand began to glow the same red as her amulet as a humming rang in her ears.

"What is this?" Seijuro pondered out loud.

The bricks seemed to roll away, making a door to a room that made everyone's eyes widen when the bricks stopped moving and completely revealed the room.

It was spacious, and completely made of garnet, which glinted in the light coming from her amulet. The walls were rough, the wall not cut nor polished. The floor, however, was smooth at sight like her stone.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Kenshin said, "Kaoru…only you can go in."

"Me?" She squeaked.

"Yes, we cannot go near almandine. Especially that much. It's clearly a sanctuary for mortals." Seijuro explained impatiently.

Kaoru swallowed before slowly walking into the room. She felt extremely safe once her whole body was inside, her necklace spreading warmth through her veins. Her footsteps echoed as she crossed over to the center of the room. She looked down at the smooth surface and was shocked to find something engraved. Kneeling down, she took her necklace off and brought the stone closer to the ground. The lines were perfectly carved, as if they were made with the aid of a ruler. She furrowed her eyebrows and stood up, looking at the carving as a whole.

Her jaw dropped at the intricacy of the magic circle, which Kaoru quickly realized what it was. The ancient markings and the scale of it made her extremely uneasy. Due to her immense curiosity, she began to trace some of the etchings with both her hands. She vaguely felt something ghost up She whimpered before running out of the room, when the bricks began moving again to their original places.

"What? What did you see?" Seijuro asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Kenshin pulled Seijuro away from her, looking at him incredulously for his lack of care before looking into her eyes. "What did you see?" He asked softly, trying to calm her down.

Kaoru took a deep breath and swallowed before speaking. "On the floor…there was…a magic circle. It's used for spells. But that…" She shuddered. "Can we just get out of here first? The aura here now…"

Kenshin nodded and took her arm, allowing her to lean on him as they walked out of the lower level of the school and into the headmaster's office. Once Seijuro locked the door, he turned to look at Kaoru expectantly.

"It's old magic. Really old. It's…it gives off death…and life at the same time. I don't like it." Kaoru stated flatly.

"Really? It's very…alluring…don't you this Aoshi?" Misao said, turning to Aoshi, who merely nodded.

"Do your foster parents have any books on these…magic circles?" Kenshin asked, looking at his boots.

"Yeah, my mom has a few books about pentacles…but I don't know if any of them will have…_that_ thing. I've never seen anything so complicated."

Misao began pacing around the office in uncharacteristic deep thought. "So…we found this…circle…altar…thing…and Enishi is totally not interested in it? But we are…. It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe if we find out what kind of ritual this circle requires…we'll know." Aoshi said slowly.

"I can try and find it next weekend when I go home." Kaoru offered.

"Great! Well, I think we should crash – or Kaoru should crash. It is rather late." Misao said kindly as Kaoru yawned.

"I will take you to your room." Kenshin said, strolling over to the window and opening it without a sound.

Kaoru nodded while yawning a second time. She waved to everyone goodnight before going over to the window and climbing through rather ungracefully.

"I effing hate windows." She muttered, getting off from the ground and brushing the dirt off her jeans.

Kenshin looped his arm through his and they quickly ran across the grounds to where her room was. Well, where the window leading to her room was.

"Are you kidding me?" She hissed. Her room was on the second floor and there was no possible way she was going to climb up the wall and into her room.

"You're not the one climbing. After your show with the headmaster's window? I think not."

Kaoru was about to slap him, but merely sighed in agreement. "Okay, I'll cross espionage off my career list."

He chuckled lightly. "Yes, that might be best. Okay, wrap your arms around my neck. Do not worry about strangling me, hold on as tight as you please."

She obeyed and wrapped his arms around his neck, feeling the coldness of his skin through her jacket. As soon as he was on the wall in a Spiderman-like position, she wrapped her legs around his waist, not quite realizing the position she was in until they were inside her room. She blushed and stepped away from him.

"Good night." He whispered into her ear ever so softly, making her shiver. As soon as she blinked, he was gone. She looked over to where Megumi was sleeping, her back toward her.

Kaoru merely crawled into her bed without changing and fell right asleep, dreaming about the magic circle and how it made her feel as if life was flowing in her blood…

* * *

The next morning, Kaoru nearly screamed out loud when she saw the palms of her hands – they each had a miniature version of the magic circle in the garnet room. No matter how many times she washed them, the marks were still very pink, as if someone had drawn them under the skin. She brought her hands into tight fists and calmly walked over to the boy's dormitories.

Some of the boys openly stared, rarely seeing a girl walking in their dormitories in the morning. She came up to Sano to ask where Kenshin was before he asked to talk to her privately. When he took her into his extremely messy bedroom, he started talking really fast.

"…could you please keep an eye on Megumi? Or even convince her to stop hanging out with Yukishiro? I swear, Kaoru, there is something really _off_ about him."

"Sano…I've tried. I really have. She won't listen to me." Kaoru replied sadly, watching Sano pace around with his hands in his hair.

"You know I haven't been a _complete_ jerk to all her other boyfriends, right?"

"Right…"

"But this is different. Don't you agree? Isn't he…I don't know…doesn't he give off a bad vibe?"

"No, you're absolutely right. I hate him too. But…she likes him." Kaoru put her face in her hands, shaking her head. When she raised her head, she found Sano staring at his feet with a defeated expression. She never thought she'd see that expression on his face, and never wanted to again. "Don't give up, please? I want her with you more than any other guy."

He raised his eye, a glint of his usual mischief in his eyes. "Don't worry. I won't give up. She actually _smiled_ at me the other day! I'm making progress despite the white-haired freak as an obstacle."

Kaoru smiled, looking down at her marked palms. Despite the way he acted around Megumi, she knew that he cared for her more than he let on. "So, where's Kenshin?"

"He's two doors down from mine. Why couldn't Megumi at least fall for him? At least he's sane…"

She laughed before saying goodbye, walking down another two doors before knocking on Kenshin's.

"Come in, Kaoru." She heard him say from behind the door. Shuddering involuntarily, she walked in to find him sitting in front of a desk, Nyoko on his lap.

"Glad you dropped the 'Miss.'" She said, closing the door behind him.

"Oh, yes…well…I figured I'd better drop it now before I accidentally say it in the corridors…which would confuse some people." He said honestly. "You can sit on the bed." He offered, pointing to his neat bed which looked like he hadn't rested on it.

"You're lucky you got your own room."

"Yeah, well, it was either that or rooming with Enishi."

Kaoru couldn't help but laugh at this fact. The image of rooming with the one who had a death wish for you made the image seem sadistically funny. Her laughter soon turned into choked sobs as she thought about Sano's face, Enishi's eyes, and the marks on her hands.

Kenshin quickly moved to the bed and put an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?" He asked kindly.

She merely showed her palms to him, revealing the intricate magic circles. "This was on the ground in that room…and I think I started the ritual last night."

* * *

A/N: (Runs away) Sorry everyone for the cliffy. I couldn't help myself. So, like it? Hate it? I won't know unless you spill your thoughts in a review :)

Thanks for the reviews everyone! You've been awesome.

MissGoalie


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: Wow…I actually have nothing to say for once. Er…enjoy?

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Six

"Wait…I am sorry…I am not…well versed in the occult. What ritual?" Kenshin asked evenly.

Kaoru took a few calming breaths before beginning her explanation. "On the ground, this," She pointed to the circle on her left palm, "is a pentacle. There are many kinds for different spells. The more intricate the circle, the more complex the spell is. I don't use these personally. Riko and Hiraku sometimes do."

"So what do some of these carvings mean? This looks like an ancient language." He brought her palm closer to his eyes.

"It might be in the Key of Solomon…I don't know."

"You mean King Solomon…?"

"Yes. He did have two books of magic. One was about death, I know that much. But he did have really complex magic circles…" Kaoru muttered under her breath.

"Would this circle be in that book?"

"I don't know…but…this looks heavily influenced by him." She said slowly.

"What did you mean that you started the ritual?" He asked concernedly.

She suddenly got up and began pacing the room. "I don't know. Was it because of my amulet? Or was it because I touched the carvings? If it was the former, then that means I have to complete the ritual. But if it was the latter…" She froze, her voice trailing off.

"What?" He whispered.

She finally looked toward him with a fearful expression. "I would be a sacrifice." She suddenly sunk to the floor, looking behind Kenshin with a glazed took of terror. "The marks won't go away until I…" Her voice cracked.

"You what?" He said with a slight growl.

"Many possible things."

"Like what?" He asked urgently.

"Die." She whispered, tears falling down her cheeks.

Kenshin suddenly stood up balling his hands into fists as he began pacing around the room quickly. "I knew it, I _knew_ it was a bad idea! But did anyone listen? No, why listen to the youngest vampire who clearly has a soft spot for the mortal!" He muttered very fast under his breath; she was barely able to catch all of what he said.

"You're the youngest?" She asked incredulously.

"I've been a vampire for over one-hundred and fifty years. Aoshi and Misao have been vampires for over two-hundred."

"Why did they marry so late then?" Kaoru asked, remembering what Aoshi said about being married to Misao for one-hundred years.

"Misao thought the whole legal aspect was a bit overrated." He answered.

Kaoru smiled and put her face in her hands for a moment before wiping her face dry. "She's so funny."

He gave her a small smile. "Yes, she's still optimistic."

They were in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Kaoru asked arbitrarily, "How does it feel having your former teacher as your teacher again?"

He smiled. "He hardly taught me classroom-related things. So it is a bit strange. I was more like his apprentice, though."

She crossed her legs and looked up at him interestedly. "Really? What did he teach you?"

He sighed before sitting on the floor across from her, his legs crossed. "I have not sat like this in a very long time." He said after a moment. She laughed at his realization as he shook his head. "When vampires are first changed…usually the creator has the decency to bring the newly changed vampire to a House or to another vampire within the area."

"So Nyoko brought you to Seijuro?" She looked at Nyoko who was curled up on the bed, sleeping.

"Actually, she was trying to get me to the House of Mezaris…but Hiko convinced her to let me learn from him."

"Why? He honestly doesn't seem the type of person to care about the wellbeing of someone he just met." Kaoru admitted honestly.

"He does give that impression doesn't he? Well, he did not want me to be tied to a House."

"What's wrong with that? I mean, wouldn't it be kind of like a family?"

He looked down at the patch of rug between them. "You do not want to be tied when you are a vampire. It's _for life_. If you go against a code or a promise, they will never stop looking for you."

She frowned at the seriousness of his voice. "So you were never with anyone besides Seijuro and Nyoko I'm assuming."

"Yes…it was a very long fifty years." He sighed. Nyoko raised her head and hissed at him, glaring. "_Hiko_ made it very long. Nyoko was always very nice." He corrected himself. Nyoko seemed to have snorted before lowering her head and closing her eyes.

"Why did she stay with you? Aoshi did say it was weird for her to not leave." Kaoru inquired softly.

"I was sick…really sick. It was winter and I was attacked at night. I told you before that I was a soldier…and someone had come to assassinate me, but he failed. The wounds got infected and I came down with a fever. In my last moments of life, Nyoko came and offered me a chance to live." He explained slowly, almost as if he was saying the story out loud for the first time.

"So you said yes."

"No, I actually did not. I did want to die. My life was not anything worth living. I left my parents to fight, but I ended up being used to kill people in the name of a better government." He shook his head for a moment before sighing. "But Nyoko changed me anyway. I was angry at her during out travel to the House of Mezaris." He then looked up at her with a odd spark in his eye. "Then a funny thing happened. I bumped into the man who mortally wounded me."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "Did you get your revenge, or something?"

"Mm, yes I did. But I had a lust for…well…I will not go into the details. You are too good to hear such devilish things."

"You lusted for his blood. You killed him and drank his blood." Kaoru said lowly.

Kenshin's violet eyes widened. "You are quite good at reading people."

"More like, I think I knew where the story was going."

He smiled humorlessly. "Yes, it's typical in vampire stories I suppose."

"You killed him…" She started, wanting to know more of his past.

"Yes, I did. And after drinking his…blood…I felt more alive then ever. It was a strangely invigorating. I foolishly thought this happened every time you fed and I then became happy, thinking that maybe my new life wouldn't be so dark and terrible."

"But…"

"But…Hiko soon passed by and told Nyoko that there was no way I would be taken by the House of Mezaris or any House for that matter."

"Because you killed a human. You broke that…law…thing."

"Exactly. Usually a new vampire would be very weak and hungry. If I was to come in, freshly fed and a glint in my eye that only came with drinking a lot human blood, I would have been killed on the spot."

"So _that_ was the main reason why you couldn't go to a House."

"Yes." He confessed.

"What are the other Houses? I keep hearing about Mezaris but what about the others?"

"That's because the House of Mezaris is the only vampire House in the North America."

"Are there seven Houses for each of the continents then?" She asked excitedly.

Kenshin laughed out loud. "I believe no human being lives in Antarctica, so there are only six."

Kaoru promptly flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry. God. So what are the _six_ Houses?"

He chuckled much to her further embarrassment. "Clareh is in Europe, Lignite is in Asia, Lilitu is in Africa, Perkant is in South America, and Aconite is in Australia."

But…what if you live in Mexico and you need to get to the House of Mezaris? Isn't that a really far distance? Where is the House of Mezaris anyway?"

"Believe it or not, the House of Mezaris is not even three hours away from this school. By car, of course."

Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had been living within five-hundred miles of a place that was filled with probably hundreds of vampires? She felt as if she was going to be sick. "It's no wonder all this freaky shit happens to me – I live near a herd of you!" She choked out.

He gave her a look of sympathy. "Maybe I should have told you to tell the priest at the church to take you to the other end of the country…" He pondered out loud.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't. I mean, Riko and Hiraku are really kind to me. Malachite Academy is a really good school…I've met some really good people. I met Megumi, who's my best friend. And if I moved, I would never have seen you again, which wouldn't have been very nice."

He looked at her with a slightly worried expression, though she didn't understand why. "How would it have not been nice? You probably would've never had to deal with another vampire again."

She merely smiled at him. "Because I never would've had the chance to say thank you. And besides, I like talking to you."

He smiled to himself and looked down at the ground. "I feel like a boy right now."

"What? I make you feel a hundred years younger?" She laughed.

"Something like that."

They were enveloped in another comfortable silence before she asked, "Can you watch Megumi and Enishi for me? She comes down here for 'study sessions' and I'm afraid that she's going to…I don't know…do things she'll regret later."

He hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright. But only if I believe it is threatening. I will not stop him every time he wishes to kiss her."

"Yeah…just…she's religious…believe it or not." She said, hoping he would understand the underlying meaning in her words.

"I see…okay. You have my word."

A half hour later, she came back to her room feeling closer to Kenshin than she'd ever thought probable. She was very happy that he was able to confide in her. _It must have been so hard_, she thought to herself as she took out all of her homework that was due the Monday she would be coming back from her stay at her home. Wanting to get everything done, she spent the rest of the day completing History rewrites, English readings, and Physics packets.

At the end of the day, Kaoru watched as Megumi came into the room in a half-daze, a lazy smile on her face. She was about to turn away in disgust when a red mark on Megumi's neck caught her eye. It looked like a hickey at first glance, but Kaoru saw with terror there were two small holes in the center.

* * *

The next day, Kaoru immediately told Kenshin what she saw in near tears. He tried to comfort her without causing suspicion, but it wasn't quite working as she was making a bit of a scene at lunch.

"I can't _believe_ he's _draining_ her! This morning she _barely_ woke up!" She hissed during lunch, stabbing her salad with her fork. Kenshin sighed before he took a bite of his own salad. "Why are you eating anyway?" She asked rather viciously, taking another stab.

"To appear normal. The last thing I want is attracting people, asking if I have anorexia."

"Manorexia, you mean." She said before chuckling at the ridiculousness of the name. Realizing it wasn't the time to be laughing, she immediately stopped and bashed a crouton.

"It will not kill her. The most dangerous side effect is the increase of dizziness. He will wait a few days before doing it again." He explained patiently.

"He's going to do it _again?!_" She exclaimed rather loudly.

A few of the tables around theirs looked toward her in slight interest. Kenshin gave her a look that clearly said that she had to keep her voice down. He looked to the front of the cafeteria and was relieved to find Megumi engrossed in putting toppings on her salad with Enishi close behind her.

"There are willing mortals who donate their blood. Of course, they are constantly monitored to make sure they do not say anything. Because once you get involved in it, you immediately have to swear to the Statute of Secrecy – the most important of the three laws."

"So this Statute of Secrecy is basically…keep your mouth shut about…you-know-what…and don't bring any attention to it."

"In a nut shell, yes."

"What are the other two laws?"

"You are obligated to kill those who have lost their minds. The other one, which is the least considered, is to not kill mortals unless absolutely necessary."

"That makes me feel protected. So for eleven years I was basically open to others possibly killing me."

"You were not." He said seriously, his salad long forgotten.

"I…wasn't?" She asked, confused.

"I was always here. I never left this state after meeting you that night." He confessed.

Her eyes widened significantly. "But…why?" She found herself asking. Although she could guess the reason, she needed to hear it out loud.

"You kept me here." He answered simply looking directly into her eyes.

She was entranced by his eyes. She couldn't help staring into them, swimming in its deep, shimmering depths. Her pulse began to increase slightly as he stared back at her with such intensity that it took her breath away.

"Staring contest?" Megumi said behind Kaoru, making her yelp in surprise. Kenshin looked away with a slightly pained expression on his face.

"That doesn't count since she scared you." Kenshin said softly, going along with Megumi's assumption of what they were doing. Kaoru tried to laugh, but it came out very weak and strangled.

For the rest of lunch, Kenshin refused to look at Kaoru. She was afraid to look back into his eyes too, afraid of what she would feel again. It wasn't something she felt with any guy she had a crush on, which was what scared her.

At twilight, Kaoru was waiting for Megumi to come back from her "study session" with Enishi. She wanted to be with Kenshin during that time, so she could be closer to Megumi incase anything were to happen, but Kenshin warned her that it wasn't the safest idea because it would give Enishi the thought that they were getting closer.

Kaoru understood his desire to keep the deepness of their relationship behind closed doors, but it still bothered her that she couldn't talk to him or be with him as much as Megumi was with Enishi.

She banged the back of her head against the wall and groaned. She knew it wasn't healthy to be having any sort of feelings for someone who did not have a pulse, but she couldn't help herself. He was still human in her eyes – he had thoughts, feelings, and wills just like any person. He just happened to lack a heartbeat.

As soon as she finished her Pre-Calculus homework, Megumi came into the room, and Kaoru immediately knew something was extremely wrong. As she shut the door slowly, Kaoru saw her shoulders shake a little.

"Megumi?" She tentatively asked.

Megumi didn't answer for a minute until she turned around, revealing tear-stained cheeks. "Oh, Kaoru, I almost completely lost it." She said quietly, her cheeks turning red.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru got up and lead Megumi to her bed, afraid she was about to pass out.

"I…we…" Megumi stuttered, afraid and seemingly embarrassed to say what had happened.

"Tell me." Kaoru said softly, while inside her heart was blazing with anger.

"We almost had sex." Megumi whispered ashamedly.

"What?!" Kaoru yelled, nearly falling off the bed. "What do you mean you _almost_ had sex?" Kaoru asked with a lower voice.

"We were…oh, Kaoru! He was on top of me and he was about to –"

"Okay! Too much information! What brought you to your senses?" Kaoru blurted, not wanting to picture the scene.

Megumi's cheeks turned a darker shade of red. "It was Kenshin, actually. He burst into the room randomly. Said he needed to know the English homework."

Kaoru nearly cried with happiness. He had kept his word. "See? He's not a complete ass."

"I know, but God! How embarrassing! I feel so disgusting. I can't believe I almost gave up everything I believed in for that…" Tears began to fall down Megumi's face before she put her face in her hands.

Kaoru's nose twitched in unrestrained anger. How dare he do this to her best friend – reducing her to a pitiful state, in doubt of her beliefs? She stood up and stalked out of their dormitory, her hands balled into fists. As she made her way to the boys' dormitory, her fingernails were digging uncomfortably into the palms of her hands, hoping to distract her from the prickling pain behind her eyes.

"Enishi!" She yelled, walking down the corridor. A few of the boys came out of their rooms, wanting to see the drama unfold. She turned to one young boy and demanded, "Where is Enishi's room?"

The boy timidly pointed down the corridor and said with a shaky voice, "The last door on the right."

Without thanking him, she stormed down the corridor, her blood pumping hard through her veins. Reaching his door, she threw it open to find him calmly reading a book.

While she was breathing heavily, he asked, "How can I help you?"

She snarled in anger and disgust. "Stay away from Megumi. If you do that to her again I swear to God I'll make sure you'll never reproduce."

Enishi laughed heartedly before closing his book and standing up. "We cannot reproduce. We are sterile. What's that expression on your face? Happiness that your stupid friend wouldn't have gotten pregnant? Or is disappointment that you won't be able to father Himura's children?"

The slap seemed to have echoed in the small room. Before Kaoru knew it, the palm of her hand was stinging from the impact of Enishi's cold skin. He was clutching his left cheek in shock for the briefest of moments before he cried out in pain. All of a sudden, his turquoise eyes were filled with anger as she shoved her up against the wall, revealing the skin on his cheek, which seemed to be sizzling away. He grabbed her hand and looked at the palm of it, staring at the markings with rage and confusion.

"What is this? Some stupid form of protection?" He hissed, gripping the collar of her shirt tighter.

"Get away from me." She snapped. Her amulet burned on her sensitive skin, making her cry out as he was pushed away by some invisible force.

"Yes. Stay away from her." A new voice said. Kaoru sighed in relief seeing Kenshin behind Enishi with his sword on his neck. However, she was a little shaken at his appearance. His eyes were very steely and his mouth was in a stern line as he glared at Enishi.

"Oh, come to protect your weak maiden? Trying to make up for past mistakes?" Enishi sneered.

"I am not weak!" Kaoru yelled.

"You are on a fine line, Enishi. Do not go too far with Miss Megumi, or you will have to answer to me." Kenshin said calmly.

"That's what I want. I want to _kill_ you, damn it! Stop hiding behind these dense mortals and face me like a man!" Enishi spat before sticking a hand into his pocket, taking out a topaz and placing it on his injured cheek.

Kenshin had a facial expression that showed his inner conflict. After a few moments, he sheathed his sword and walked toward Kaoru. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, his eyes slowly changing to his normal state.

"I'm fine. Just get me away from him before I kill him myself." Kaoru said, proud of that she was able to keep her voice steady.

Kenshin nodded, thoughtlessly looping his arm through hers as he opened the door and walked out, leaving an enraged Enishi.

A few of the boys peaked out of their rooms, curious as to what happened in the room. "What are you looking at?" Kaoru snapped. Everyone quickly went back to their rooms and shut the door. "Fucking nosey." She muttered to herself as they walked out of the boys' dormitory toward the girls'.

"I promise he will never touch you again." He said with a slight growl.

She smiled at his protectiveness. "It did feel rather good slapping him though."

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "You slapped him? Is that why his cheek was red?"

"Yeah. I think it was these marks." She brought her free hand up to her face to look at the markings. "I like them a bit more now then I did two days ago."

The corner of his mouth turned upward. "We need to find out what those markings mean, so do not be so quick to like them."

"It's not like I want tattoos of them!"

He chuckled as they walked up the stairs to her dormitory. "You should definitely smile more. Don't let that creep Enishi get you angry." She said.

"You should listen to your own advice, Kaoru." He said with an amused smile.

She stuttered for a moment before laughing herself. "Yeah, I probably should. It's just…he gets me so…"

"He's very bitter. He has every right to be." He said softly.

"Seeing death is horrible." She murmured, agreeing with him.

He stopped in his tracks to stare at her with wide eyes. "How did you know?"

"Megumi. He told her that he saw the death of his _older sister_, which we both know is not true." She turned to face him, unlinking their arms as she grabbed his gloved hands. "Why was she killed, Kenshin?"

He looked deep into her blue eyes before taking her behind the staircase so they couldn't be overheard by anyone. When he was sure nobody was around he said quietly, "It was either being immortal or death. She wanted me to end her life." Kaoru froze and was silent, which he took as an allowance to continue. "She didn't want to share the same fate as Enishi and I. He saw me kill her…which completely broke him since he had sworn to his sister when he had first changed that he would protect her generations of children."

She stared at him blankly for a few moments. "That's it?" She asked with a hollow voice. "You mean, she was changed, then she didn't want to be immortal, and then she made you kill her?"

He nodded slowly, pain etched on his face. "I could never deny what she asked for."

She was extremely angry to hear that. In her mind, she imagined Tomoe to be a brave woman who loved Kenshin, despite who he was. Kaoru thought she died by protecting Kenshin, or something memorable.

"She was scared to be with you? The idea of forever seemed ominous?" Kaoru said, her anger slowly rising. "Did she ever think about the consequences of her dying? Did she think of Enishi and how he would react – how he had sworn to protect his sister's lineage? That you would be in danger? I'm sorry to say this Kenshin, but that was beyond selfish of her."

Kenshin's eyebrows disappeared behind his red bangs, his mouth almost hanging open. "Selfish? Perhaps, but we never seem to think about others when we are in the face of something dangerously unknown." He said, in complete shock of her response.

"She knew what it meant! _I_ know what that means!"

"Tomoe decided to be changed in the heat of a romantic moment. She wasn't thinking rationally at the time."

"If she loved you enough then it wouldn't have mattered if there was an expiration date on your lives or not!" She continued loudly.

He shushed her before sighing and running a gloved hand through his bangs. "I did not think you would feel so passionate about this."

"_You're_ stuck in this mess because of her selfish choice! _I'm_ involved in this too! My _school _is now involved. You know how many lives are at risk because of Enishi! It keeps me up at night sometimes! And no offense to Tomoe's reasoning, but living forever with you doesn't seem horrible in the least bit." After saying the last sentence, she made a small gasp, realizing the meaning of what she had said.

Kenshin had a stunned expression on his face, his mouth hung slightly open at her rant. When he came to his senses, he looked at her warmly before taking a step towards her and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"That means a lot to me." He said very softly against her skin before pulling away.

She stood frozen to the spot, unbelieving of the fact that he had touched her skin once again with his lips. For a brief moment, she saw his usually pale lips bright pink before he took out his topaz and placed it on them.

"I'm sorry that I burned you." She whispered, realizing why he licked his lips when he had kissed her hand that night weeks ago.

He pocketed his stone away before giving her a soft smile. "Do not ever apologize for being mortal. Many of us desire what you have."

"You do too?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

He looked at her with what she thought was a longing expression before his eyes turned emotionless. "Of course." He said quietly. He looked down at the floor beneath them for a few moments before looking back up at her and giving a pleasant smile. "I will see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow. Good night." She stuttered, watching him walk away to the boys' dormitories. When he was out of her sight, she continued to stand there for a few moments, trying to let everything that had just happened sink in.

She wasn't quite sure what had happened, but she knew that they had crossed into a territory that she couldn't turn back from. As she laid in bed thinking, she knew it was the way she wanted it.

* * *

A/N: Haha you want to know what I just realized? This is chapter six...and Megumi almost has sex. Six/sex...similar words...okay I'm shutting up now.

Drop a review!

MissGoalie


	7. Chapter Seven

A/N: This chapter did not end the way I planned it...but I think I like how it turned out.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Seven

When Kaoru got back into her dorm room, she found Megumi lying on her bed, wearing black sweatpants and a heather grey sweatshirt, staring at the wall blankly.

"Megumi, it's okay." Kaoru said, sitting on the edge of Megumi's bed and putting a hand on her arm.

"Can you turn off the lights? I need to sleep." Megumi said with a hoarse voice.

Kaoru nodded, quickly changing into sweatpants and a large shirt before turning off the lights. She tip toed into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, thinking about earlier. Putting her fingertips to her forehead, she smiled blissfully to herself. Kenshin cared for her a lot, which made her lightheaded with happiness.

Looking down at the amulet, she lifted it to see the skin was slowly beginning to heal, given that it didn't burn every second of classes. However, it was still extremely red and sensitive to the touch. She took off the amulet and put a cold compress on it, soothing the skin.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she reveled at the calming effect. When she opened her eyes, she was extremely surprised to see Misao in the mirror. She turned around to find her standing in front of the towels with a grin.

"Hi!" Misao greeted cheerfully.

Kaoru breathed out in relief. "Are you out of your mind? You nearly scared me to death." She whispered. "And how did you get in here anyway?"

"Ah, our kind has some skills in transporting ourselves. But anyway, is it true? You bitch slapped Enishi?" Misao asked excitedly.

"Oh…that's getting around _already?_"

"Oh, yes! Humans are very talented in spreading juicy facts! So what happened?"

"He was about to…take away Megumi's…you know." Kaoru said.

Misao's eyes widened and her mouth turned into an "O" shape. "I see. Well, that is just horrible! Men have no respect for a woman's virginity. It's much more meaningful to us."

Kaoru was suddenly reminded of Enishi's comment about vampires being sterile. "So you can never have children?"

Misao sighed sadly. "No, we can't. That is rather sad, isn't it? But it would be a bit of a hassle having to care for a child. When you're a vampire, you are always on the move. You can never stay in a place for too long."

"But you can still…have sex?" Kaoru asked, turning red against her wishes. She felt like a twelve-year-old girl blushing.

"Of course! But it's not semen that's being –"

"Okay! I get it." Kaoru said, feeling rather queasy at the thought.

They were in a comfortable silence for a minute until Misao said rather softly, "I'm sorry that you're putting up with us. With all of this. It's not fair to you."

Kaoru shrugged. "It's not your fault, really. It's that stupid bastard Enishi." She looked down at the amulet that was wrapped around her wrist. "If he wasn't here…or if that stupid detective wasn't breathing down my back, maybe it would have been better." She scowled at the thought of the detective. "I hate him. I just wish he'd leave me alone and burn in hell."

"Such harsh words from such a kind person." Misao said. "But Aoshi is going to check up on this detective. He's a little too persistent...it's very suspicious."

They were in a comfortable silence for a minute before Misao looked down at Kaoru's hands with curiosity. "Kenshin said you have marks on your hands."

Kaoru raised the palms of her hand face up. The marks on the hand with which she slapped Enishi were redder than the other. "It's some form of magic. It's really old."

Misao looked at the marks with scrutinizing eyes. "Very interesting. Kenshin was right, they are somewhat beautiful in a…weird way."

"Kenshin thinks they're beautiful?" Kaoru asked, shocked. "And he's the one telling me I shouldn't like them."

"Well, we don't know what these mean. But you cannot deny how alluring they are."

Kaoru was very confused. Enishi didn't seem to think twice about the marks on her hands, yet Kenshin and Misao were seemingly entranced by them.

"Do you know anything about magic circles?" Kaoru asked hopefully.

"No, not my field of expertise. Very wishy washy, that whole study. No offense." Misao responded.

"None taken." Kaoru said, hearing that comment plenty of times throughout her life.

Misao smiled at her with a longing expression. "Being young." She sighed. "Do live these years to your fullest and best. That is what I regret most." Misao suddenly sounded the age she truly was. "I do not regret choosing to be with Aoshi. But…I do regret that I did not get to my eighteenth birthday."

"How old are you?" Kaoru asked.

"I was _changed_ at seventeen. Almost your age, correct?"

"Yeah…in June I will be." Kaoru said, her eyes wide at her revelation. "So…you don't need to be a certain age, or anything?"

"There are children that are changed." Misao said sorrowfully. "Why do you ask such a question?" She asked sharply.

"No reason, I was just curious."

Misao eyed her suspiciously. "Get rid of those thoughts. You do not want to be one of us. It's a curse."

Kaoru was astonished at her uncharacteristic behavior. "I don't want to be one." She said, although somewhere deep inside, this was a bit of a lie.

"Good. You really have no idea how lucky you are. There's not a day that goes by that I miss feeling…_really feeling_…the warmth of the sun…of another's touch…" Misao drifted off, immense sadness etched on her stunning features.

Kaoru looked down at her hands in extreme guilt. She felt horrible for even considering being a vampire. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean –"

"Oh, it's my fault. I directed the conversation, didn't I?" Misao tried to grin. "I better leave to my dormitory. My roommate is probably wondering where I've gone off to."

As soon as Kaoru had blinked, Misao had disappeared.

"What is with vampires and disappearing like that?" She muttered to herself as she turned off the lights to the bathroom and slowly made it to her bed.

Before lying down, she put her amulet back around her neck, despite her displeasure. When she got herself comfortable, she felt something on her stomach. She was about to scream seeing a pair of large, amber eyes staring at her.

_Don't scream! Your roommate._

"Nyoko." Kaoru breathed in relief.

_Mouth your words. Your roommate will not find it…comforting to hear you talking to seemingly nobody._

Kaoru nodded, feeling rather stupid nodding to a cat. "What are you doing here?"

_I came to say that I have more respect for you._

"Why do you respect me more?" Kaoru mouthed.

_Because you told Kenshin exactly how ridiculous Tomoe was. I hated her from the beginning. More than you believe it or not._

"Comforting." Kaoru nearly snorted out loud. "Why did you hate her?"

_She was the perfect lady in her family's eyes. Her parents believed her to be caring and completely altruistic. She was the complete opposite._

"Maybe she was trapped…"

_Hmm?_

"Like…she kept her feelings inside. She was forced to be this calm, docile woman, and when she met Kenshin…she completely let loose."

_Kenshin was right. You are good at reading people. I assume that was the case, but it was still inexcusable what she did. _

Kaoru mentally heard Nyoko sigh. "You changed her." She stated more than asked.

_Yes, I did._

"Why? You didn't approve of her from the beginning, why did you give her immortality?"

There was a long silence. Kaoru thought Nyoko left, but then she heard her.

_Because I care for him. More than a demon should._

Kaoru bit her lip at this confession. "I'm sorry."

_For what?_

"What you must go through everyday."

If it was possible, she thought she saw Nyoko smile at her.

_I wouldn't mind having to change you._

"What?" Kaoru whispered out loud.

_You never know. Kenshin is going to the House of Mezaris to tell the Elders about Enishi. They will immediately know about you and will want you either changed, or killed._

Kaoru turned sheet white as she began to breathe shallowly.

"Everyone failed to tell me _that_."

_Knowing Kenshin, he will find a way out of it. Besides, there is nothing wrong with it. After all, you said it yourself, being with Kenshin for eternity wouldn't be horrible in the least._

Kaoru didn't know what to say, which Nyoko took as a signal to leave.

_Good night._

_What is this, confession night?_ Kaoru thought to herself in a slight daze. She ended up lying awake for over two hours before she was able to fall into a restless sleep.

* * *

"_Kaoru!_"

Kaoru awoke from her stupor to look at the board where her professor was fuming. "I'm sorry…what was the question again?"

Her professor sighed, scratched the back of his ear and said exasperatingly, "Can I speak with you after class?"

She nodded as her cheeks turned bright pink. Only getting five hours of sleep made her less focused than usual, which meant that she barely paid attention in classes that day. Forcing herself to listen to her professor's boring lecture about the Renaissance's effects on the Scientific Revolution made her eyelids even heavier than they already were.

At the end of class, she took her time putting her books away as the classroom slowly emptied out. Kenshin smiled at her and patted her shoulder, a look of sympathy in his eyes. She wondered if he knew that Nyoko and Misao visited her the night before.

"Miss Kamiya?" Her professor said from his desk.

Kaoru walked to the front of the classroom with a sorry expression on her face. "I'm so sorry about today, I didn't get a lot sleep last night." She admitted.

He sighed, taking of his horn rimmed classes and placing them on a stack of textbooks. "I know what you saw earlier this month was…very traumatic. Ever since then your attention span has decreased significantly, which is saying something since, no offense, you never were the greatest listener."

She blushed. "I'm going home today for the weekend…to get away from the school a bit. The whole Halloween thing isn't really…the best thing to go through right now."

He nodded. "Very wise choice. Well, enjoy your weekend then. And please, do try and pay attention. You're a bright student and I want you to do well." He said seriously.

"Thanks. You too." She smiled. "Oh! I have the essay that's due Monday. I'm missing the first two periods." She dug into her bag and took out a three page essay.

"Thank you."

"I'm not completely out of it yet." She joked.

He chuckled. "Perhaps not. Let me write a pass for you, what class are you going to?"

"English." She inwardly groaned, not wanting to see Enishi or any other vampire for that matter.

Her professor took a post-it from his desk and scribbled a note, then handed it to her. "I'll see you when you get back."

She nodded and head out of the classroom, glad that she only had one more period before she could finally go home. Riko and Hiraku are just what she needed to get back to her normal self.

She nearly snorted out loud at the thought – she was barely normal to begin with.

Being two minutes late to class, she walked to over to Professor Seijuro, blushing having everyone's eyes on her. He took the piece of paper and nodded at her. She quickly made her way to the top of the stairs to her seat next to Megumi. As soon as she got settled, Seijuro resumed his lesson once again.

Kaoru looked to Megumi and smiled at her, who smiled tentatively back.

At the edge of her notebook, Kaoru wrote, "Are you okay? Did you talk to him?"

Megumi's brows furrowed as she picked up her pencil and wrote at the edge of her notebook, "Yeah. I told him that we should stop hanging out after classes. Just to breathe, you know?"

Kaoru nodded, secretly cheering mentally. She scribbled back, "That's good. I missed hanging out with you." She added a smiley face at the end of her sentence.

Megumi smiled at her and nodded in agreement.

Kaoru looked away from Megumi for a split second and made eye contact with Kenshin, who smiled at her supportively. She smiled back, hoping he could sense the reason for her happiness. When she looked down at her desk, she saw Megumi wrote something new on her notebook.

"You like Kenshin?"

She bit her lip and looked to Megumi, who was looking back at her expectantly. Posing her pencil an inch away from the paper, she thought about her answer carefully. Deciding to be honest, she wrote in small letters, "Yes." Megumi raised her eyebrows, looking for more. Sighing, Kaoru added, "A lot. More than I should."

Megumi's forehead scrunched in confusion, but Kaoru refused to write anything else. She forced herself for the rest of class to take notes, look through the book whenever told, and participate whenever she was sure of the answer. It was a very long fifty minutes, but soon enough the bell rang, signaling the end of the period and the end of all classes.

"Yes! I can go home!" Kaoru said, jumping out of her seat.

"What did you mean?" Megumi immediately asked. Kaoru looked at Megumi's closed notebook and took it off the desk. "What are you doing?"

Kaoru flipped through the pages of notes until she found the one with their conversation. Although it did not say Kaoru's confession, she tore it off anyway, afraid that Enishi would somehow deduct her answer.

"You never know." Kaoru said vaguely.

"Getting all spy-like on me?" Megumi joked.

"Paranoia, probably." Kaoru admitted, crumpling the paper into the palm of her hand.

"So, I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah. You can call me at home." Kaoru said before bringing her into a hug.

Megumi held her tightly. "You're such a good friend." She said in her ear.

A wave of guilt washed over Kaoru. After all, she was concealing the fact that Enishi was a vampire and did suck her blood. "Bye, Megumi."

Kaoru walked down the rows of chairs, smiled farewell to Professor Seijuro before leaving the classroom. Kenshin was outside the room, waiting for her. He held out an arm for her, which she took automatically.

"It seems my friends have forgotten that a mortal needs at least eight hours of sleep." He said apologetically.

She smiled. "It's okay. I get to sleep all weekend. Oh! Megumi and Enishi are going to take a break from each other."

"Ah, so that was why you were so happy. I had a feeling it had to do with them."

She took a deep breath of relief. "Honestly, I'm so relieved. The best part is that she wanted to do it on her own. I didn't need force her."

He nodded. "Aoshi and Misao will keep an eye on both of them, regardless."

"What about you?"

"I will be going to the House of Mezaris at some point. I will be handing in Aoshi and Misao's reports as well as telling the Elders about Enishi's actions."

Kaoru grinned. "You are? You will?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes. There is no other choice. I hope they will just extract him." He said, worry etched in his words.

"Why, what else would they do?" She asked curiously.

He looked down at the ground. "They might order me to kill him, which I will not do unless…the situation is dire."

She didn't want to think about the "dire situation" he was possibly thinking of, because she was afraid it involved her. "Well, good luck with that."

"Good luck with finding anything about the markings on your hand. I will have Nyoko come and visit you."

"Okay." She then smiled once more as they turned left to the corridor where the main office was. "I think Nyoko and I definitely bonded last night. It was very nice."

He chuckled. "That is good. She is very picky about people. Now I get to tease her – I told her that you were a good person."

She blushed. "You did? That's so nice of you."

"Watch your blushing, Miss Kaoru." He whispered in her ear.

"Sorry." She breathed, her heart beating ten times faster.

He pulled away and smiled at her kindly. "I will see you when you get back. Enjoy your time with her parents as well."

"I will. Thanks."

He nodded at her before turning around and walking away. She watched him until she couldn't see him any longer before she continued forward to the main office where Hiraku and Riko were sitting.

"Kaoru! My darling!" Riko cried, getting up and bringing her adopted daughter into a hug. "Those amber specks are burning so brightly! It is all so curious!" She muttered to herself.

Kaoru pulled away from Riko to hug Hiraku. "You're alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." She said, breathing in his scent of peppermint. "Can we go?"

"Yes, you are signed out. Let's go before hit any traffic. Rush hour is getting earlier these days."

Kaoru slept the whole ride home, somewhat making up for the lost hours the night before. However, she was woken up when they were in front of a small shop where they usually bought their candles and such for spells.

"Kaoru! We have to pick candles for the windows." Riko said gently, nudging her awake.

"M'kay." Kaoru grumbled, getting of the car slowly.

Kaoru loved this store. It was very small – caught in between a pharmacy and an athletic store. Once inside, \you are seemingly disconnected from the outside world for it's completely silent, except for the turning of old pages or the clinks of the curtain of beads at the other end of the store.

Riko immediately went to where the candles were on the right wall of shelves with Hiraku in toe. Kaoru, on the other hand, went through the curtain of wooden beads to the book section. Looking at the worn binds, she flipped through some that had magic circles. However, she couldn't find one that was remotely like the ones on her hands.

Putting the fifth book she took out back in frustration, she saw a book fall from the shelf at the corner of her eye. Kneeling down, she looked at the extremely worn cover in interest, which read, "Casting Circles" in peeling gold script. Picking the book up gently, she flipped through the soft pages, squinting to read out the very small print.

She nearly dropped the book when she saw the exact circle from her hands on the book.

Not wanting to read it in the store, she strode out from the book section to where Hiraku was picking out herbs.

"I think we should cleanse our home. Frankincense or sandalwood?" He asked.

"Sandalwood, definitely." She answered immediately.

"Yes, you always did have an affiliation for sandalwood." He said to himself before putting some in a bag. "Rose buds, lavender, and rosemary also."

"Sounds good. Don't forget for blue, green, and purple candles for the altar. We don't want another repeat of the last June."

He nodded, walking over to the candles. "What's that?" He asked, nodding at the book clutched to her chest.

"I found it. Can I get it?" She asked, holding it out.

"You were never that into them." He said curiously.

"Well…you and Riko do it, so I want to learn more about them."

"We have books at home, you know. That seems very…advanced."

"Oh, please? It looks so fascinating."

He narrowed his eyes in consideration. "As long as you do not try anything without my or Riko's consent, alright."

After a few minutes later, the three of them met at the register where an elderly woman rang up their prices. She was unsure of the book Kaoru had picked out, claiming that she never saw it before. However, she sold it to them at a relatively low price since they were regular customers.

Kaoru waited anxiously to get home, excited and terrified to read about the circles on her hands. Within ten minutes, they had made it back into the house. She grabbed the book from the bag of purchases and quickly ran up to her room where Nyoko was sitting surprisingly.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, shutting the door.

_Kenshin told you that I was supposed to watch you._

"Yeah I know…I didn't think it would be this soon." She said, plopping onto her bed cheerfully.

_He is very worried about your safety. Especially when he meets the House of Mezaris._

Kaoru flipped through the pages of the book excitedly, finding the page of her magic circle. Bringing the book close to her face, she read the fine print as slowly as she could. When she finished, she dropped the book onto her lap and looked to Nyoko with a horrified expression.

_What does it say?_

Nyoko walked over to Kaoru's side to look at the book.

"It's completely…it…goes against _nature_. It's…" Kaoru forced out, turning extremely pale. She swallowed the bile that was climbing up her throat before taking deep, breaths. "I mean…it's good. It should be good, the results I mean. Miraculous, even. But…the steps…" She drifted off, feeling sick all over again.

_If it works…it will give all immortals hope. Kenshin..._

* * *

A/N: Err...now is probably not the best time to tell you that I won't be updating until the week after next? (Hides) I'm sorry! I'm visiting family and my grandpa is very...weird...about us kids using his computer. (sigh) it's very annoying.

Please review! It makes me happy :)

MissGoalie


	8. Chapter Eight

A/N: I'm very depressed – do you want to know why? School is starting this coming Wednesday and I have to finish this horrible essay that totally sucks already.

So I'm mourning my amazing summer. It was amazing – I did everything I wanted: I didn't die with the release of HP7…I survived my lacrosse camps…I went to warped tour (and came out with a drumstick!!!)…it was a very good summer indeed.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Eight

Kaoru nodded, trying to calm her speeding heart. "This is…crazy. I never thought that Wicca could possibly…I'm so ignorant." She ended in a whisper. "I was so confused about Riko and Hiraku's steely belief in this…"

_I am sure they do not know the extent of their religion, either._ Nyoko looked at Kaoru expectantly, awaiting an answer. _All I want is Kenshin's happiness. Although he is not angry with me anymore for my changing him…but I see it in his eyes in classes…looking at you…looking at all the students…he wishes for that deep down inside._

Kaoru looked down at her palms and whispered, "This is so dangerous." She bit her lip and closed her eyes, thinking of the situation for a few minutes. When she came to a decision, she balled her hands into fists, not flinching as her fingernails dug into her skin. "I'll do it…Kenshin deserves it and…" She trailed off, not wanting to voice out loud her secret desires. But she blushed, knowing that Nyoko was most likely reading her thoughts.

_Let us look at the list and try to comprehend it._

Kaoru looked down at the list in deep disgust. "'Blood of mortal who cares for demon without fear, blood of demon for ritual, body of other demon that sacrificed all for it…' this is _horrible!_"

_Yes, this is not something that would be in every guide-to-Wicca book._

"Well, let's think. 'blood of mortal who cares for demon without fear'…"

Kaoru heard Nyoko snort. _You. No thinking involved._

Kaoru bit her lip. "Right. And the blood of demon would be Kenshin…but body of other demon…I don't understand…someone has to _die_ for this?"

_A life for a life. Sounds reasonable._

"But lives cannot possibly be –"

Nyoko gave her a stern look. _You have already agreed to see through this. Besides, you will not want to have those marks on your palms forever…a constant reminder of what you could have done._

"Even demons can apparently guilt trip people." Kaoru muttered to herself. She looked back down at the list once again. "Maybe we can get Enishi as the other demon! There would be no problem in killing him!" She suggested cheerfully after a moment.

_It says "sacrificed". I highly doubt Enishi would sacrifice himself for Kenshin's happiness. His objective is to make Kenshin eternally miserable._

Kaoru sighed dejectedly. "Fair point. We'll get back to that. What is the chant…?" She turned the page and was surprised to see a page full of symbols instead of words. "What the hell is this?" She blurted.

_I may not be a master in the art of Wicca…but I do believe you cannot chant…random symbols._

They were certainly not of any known language. There were circles, ellipses, dashes, and clovers, all completely random. "This reminds me of the album cover for Led Zeppelin's fourth album." Kaoru said, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "Maybe you have to picture them very clearly in your mind…there are spells that involve things like that."

_It would make sense. A spell that involves bringing life should not be simply done by chanting silly phrases._

"I can't look at this now. Tomorrow I'll…dissect this. I just want to eat dinner and sleep." Kaoru said, throwing the book under the bed before lying back onto the mattress. "I was hoping it was just something to protect the school or something." She mumbled.

_Your parents are about to call you down for dinner. It's…tofu with steamed vegetables._

"Lovely." Kaoru got up and walked to the door. "Are you sleeping over?" She blushed at the childishness in the question.

_Yes, I will be "sleeping over."_

Kaoru heard Nyoko chuckle. "Shut up." She mumbled, still hearing the laughter in her head as she walk down the hallway and down the stairs.

* * *

The next day, Kaoru was woken up at the crack of dawn to cleanse the house. First, they burned the sandalwood incense they bought the day before to prepare the ritual. They went around the house counter clockwise and cleansed the different rooms with sprinkling slat water on every corner, window, door, and drain and exorcized any disruptive influences. After this, the family went around the house clockwise, sprinkling herbs in each of the rooms.

When they were finished, the sun was high in sky, hidden behind masses of clouds. After she showered, she felt very refreshed and purified. Putting on a gray sweater and dark jeans, she walked back down to the living room, feeling the positive energy all around her. As soon as she collapsed onto a chair in content, there was a sharp knock from the front door.

"Can you get that Kaoru?" Riko asked from the other room.

Kaoru groaned and got up, slowly making her way to the front door. When she got into the living room where the front door was, she quickly walked toward it, suddenly sensing someone important outside. She opened the door, extremely surprised to find Kenshin standing outside wearing all black once again. Her breath caught in her throat – seeing his white skin contrasting so perfectly with the black wool of his pea coat with his long, auburn hair made her dizzy.

"Ah, good, you're home. Do you mind if I come in?" He asked calmly. But Kaoru sensed anxiety under his calm exterior. She looked passed him and was confused to find an elderly man who clearly had an air of majesty to him along with a small girl with curly brown hair. "Don't look at them." Kenshin murmured, walking into house and shutting the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked.

"I need somewhere to stay for the weekend. I am very sorry, Miss Kaoru, but the House of Mezaris is very displeased with me and I must…lie low as you call it." He explained, putting his arms behind his back.

"How am I supposed to explain that to Riko and Hiraku?" She whispered.

"You won't have to. They will not know I am here." He said quietly.

"Kaoru? Who's here?" She heard Riko ask from the other room. Kenshin gave her a look, allowing her to tell a little bit of truth for the time being.

"Oh…a friend from school. He lives near here and decided to pay a visit." Kaoru lied on the spot.

Riko came through the doorway and as soon as she saw Kenshin, her eyes widened into saucers. "_You! _You are the source of her amber specks! The one whose soul left a mark on hers!" Riko cried, gliding over to Kenshin with wide eyes. "How is this possible?"

Kenshin looked passed Riko and looked at Kaoru with wide eyes. He didn't know what to say.

"Where is Hiraku?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh, he just slipped out to be with friends." She said dismissively, still eyeing Kenshin with unabashed curiosity. "Did you two meet before? The night her parents were killed?" She openly asked.

Kaoru stared at him in slight desperation. How were they going to get out of this predicament? Riko was very observant and Kaoru should've realized that somehow she was going decipher the connection between Kenshin and she was beyond simple friends from school.

"Yes, we did. My…father and I were driving down that road and we found Kaoru at a fork in the road. We directed her down the right one." He explained slowly, glancing toward Kaoru briefly.

"I see. Kaoru never talks about that day. Understandable, of course."

"Let's go there." Kaoru blurted.

Hiko and Kenshin looked to her in shock. "Go…where?"

"That fork in the road. That…" She trailed off, swallowing loudly.

"You've refused to go that way for years, dear." Riko said softly.

"I know, but," she took a deep breath, "Kenshin is here…and he's the only one who was there that night…and I think I can do it with him." She finished strongly, despite the gnawing fear in the pit of her stomach. She also wanted to get away from Riko incase she started questioning the two of them. Although Kenshin would be able to get through it without any trouble, she couldn't trust herself.

"Well…alright. I suppose it's okay. Do you want something to eat, Kaoru? Kenshin?"

"I'm not hungry." Kaoru said truthfully.

"I ate earlier, but thank you." Kenshin added. Kaoru gave a side-glance to him and smiled a little, almost as if it was an inside joke.

"Be careful." Riko said seriously, shocking Kaoru who nodded. She walked to the closet under the staircase to get her coat. Having not been outside yet, she wasn't sure which jacket to wear.

"It's a bit nippy out." Kenshin said helpfully.

"Okay." She took out a navy blue knitted coat that went down to her knees, figuring the number of tops she was wearing was acceptable enough. On a hanger she saw a black scarf and decided to bring it along. She hung the scarf around her neck and looked to Riko who was watching her.

Kaoru felt bad for worrying her, but those thoughts disappeared when she saw Kenshin hold out his arm for her. She looped hers through his and they walked to the front door. He unlocked their arms and opened the door for her. She smiled at him and curtseyed with an imaginary skirt. He chuckled as she walked outside, right behind her. Linking arms once again, they treaded down the gravel driveway to the road.

"Who were those people?" Kaoru asked after a few minutes of walking. The hand attached to the arm that looped with Kenshin's was frozen already, though she did not want to break away from him. "The ones who trespassed my property."

He chuckled, but then turned serious. "Those were Elders from the House of Mezaris."

"Wait, what?" She thought she misheard him. "The little girl is an _Elder?_" She questioned in shock.

He sighed. "I suppose this is a good thing I told you now. She's very sensitive about it. When I say sensitive, I mean she is easily ignited by it."

"Are we going to meet them?" She asked, confused about the meaning in his answer.

"There is no avoiding it."

The road ended and they began to walk on a dirt path that went uphill. Kaoru tried to control her heavy breathing since the hill was quite steep. Also, Kenshin was having no trouble hiking up the hill, which made her self conscious. When they reached the top, she let out a breath of relief. She turned around to look at the town below her. The church top could be seen from the distance, the church that Kenshin directed her to go to.

"Did I ever thank you?" She asked softly.

She glanced over to see him shrug. "You never had to." He replied.

Taking a deep breath, she turned her back away from the town toward the path ahead of them that lead into the woods. She instinctively grabbed onto his arm and began walking.

"When will we see them?" She whispered.

"Oh, quite soon I suppose." He said lightly.

She was suddenly reminded of her discovery the day before. "Kenshin! I found out what the cir –" All of a sudden, his gloved hand was over her mouth.

"No – keep it to yourself!" He whispered urgently. "She can read minds…at least what is in your conscious thoughts. Vampires are easier for her to understand, so tell me later. Try and put that in the back of your mind." He then removed his hand from her mouth.

"They don't know about it?" Kaoru asked.

"No, Hiko thinks it's best to keep it quiet for now."

"What did they say about Enishi?" Kaoru asked, changing the subject, hoping to put any thought about the magic circles in the back of her mind.

He narrowed his eyes. "They said they would keep an eye on him from outside the school." He closed his eyes and his brows furrowed together. "The Elders know about you, Kaoru." He whispered.

"Everything?"

"They know I saved you…and did not silence you when I should have."

She forced herself to breathe, trying to grasp the fact that there was more than one vampire who wanted her dead. "Why me?" She groaned.

"Yes, that is a good question, why you?" A high, girly voice asked from behind.

Kaoru yelped in surprise, jumping almost a foot in the air. She turned around and stepped back a few feet, shaking in fear. The little girl from earlier was there along with the elderly man, who was staring at her with scrutinizing eyes.

"Akemi," Kenshin greeted, slightly bowing toward the girl, "Masaru," he bowed to the old man.

"So this is her? The mortal?" The girl Akemi asked, her bright, pear colored eyes staring at Kaoru who swallowed.

"I'm Kaoru." Kaoru walked forward next to Kenshin, who immediately put a foot slightly in front of her. She watched his gloved hand balled into a fist.

"Don't fret, Himura, she's not going to be killed this moment." Masaru said in a bored tone, as if he was talking to a child.

"What do wish to talk about?" Kenshin asked politely, but with a hint of hostility.

"The mortal, of course."

Kaoru put her hands into her pockets and stared back at Akemi, who seemed to be looking behind her eyes and into her very thoughts. Akemi and Marasu were dressed very royally – both in dark velvet and both were had large diamond rings on their middle fingers. Suddenly remembering Kenshin saying that she read minds, Kaoru looked away from Akemi's pretty face to the ground underneath their feet.

"Let's walk." Akemi said finally.

Kenshin looped his arm through hers as they walked in between Akemi, who was next to Kaoru, and Marasu, who was next to Kenshin.

"Where did you get that amulet?" Akemi directed her question to Kenshin to Kaoru's surprise. How did she know that he was the one who gave her the necklace?

"Natsumi's daughter Naoko." Kenshin admitted rather hesitantly.

"Why did you go see her?" Akemi questioned.

"I ran into her accidentally while wandering a few decades ago. Natsumi had been dead a decade at the time. Naoko was…beginning to lose her mind slowly. She thrust the necklace at me and said that I was to meet a mortal that needed protection until you were to come back."

"Me?" Kaoru squeaked. Akemi looked up to Kaoru and sniggered. Kaoru blushed in embarrassment.

Kenshin looked to Kaoru. "I knew what the stone was…but I barely interacted with mortals until…" He trailed off.

"Tomoe." Kaoru growled, finishing the sentence for him.

"To defend her choice…she did not know of Enishi's existence. There was no way she could've known what it would do to him." Kenshin said softly.

"She doesn't need, or deserve, any defending whatsoever."

"I agree with the mortal." Akemi piped.

"Enough. The point is you broke the law twice with the same mortal. She cannot live while she knows of us." Marasu stated without any emotion in his lined face.

"It's not like anyone would believe me if I went around yelling vampires exist." Kaoru muttered.

"She has kept our existence quiet for over eleven years; I believe she has earned our trust." Kenshin said through his teeth.

"That is not your decision to make."

"No, wait Marasu," Akemi said, her heart shaped lips slowly breaking into a patronizing smirk as she stared at him, then Kaoru, the back to Kenshin, "they seemed to have developed some feelings for each other. The mortal would keep this secret to her grave." She giggled, which sounded like clear, tiny bells. Kaoru couldn't help but shudder.

"Human emotions are fleeting." Marasu said.

"Give us a bit more credit, would you?" Kaoru said angrily. "Has anyone considered what this is doing to me? My friend is continually being sucked dry by one of _you_ and I _still_ haven't told her what he is! Her life is at risk because I'm keeping your existence a secret!" She hissed as she ripped her arm out of Kenshin's to turn and face the Elders.

"I think we should let her live. She's interesting." Akemi said lightly after a moment.

Kaoru saw Kenshin's nose twitch a little in anger. He swiftly walked over to her and put his arm around her waist protectively. She blushed at being in such close contact with him.

"She is _your_ responsibility." Marasu said, glaring at Kenshin and Kaoru.

"I wish your luck on the path you're both treading. I do believe you enjoy this path, Himura. Hopefully the second time won't end so tragically." Akemi said thoughtfully.

His hold on Kaoru tightened slightly. "Thank you for your understanding." He said sincerely, his eyes tight.

"We will watch for this Enishi. Do not be alarmed if you sense someone outside or on the grounds." Akemi added. She turned to Kaoru and smiled at her. "Have you considered being one of us? That would make everything easier." A low growl erupted from Kenshin's throat. "Obviously that is not an option." She said smoothly before turning on her heels and laughing prettily. Her curly brown hair bounced as she skipped down the trail with Marasu in toe until she blinked, they seemed to have vanished.

"What is _with_ you guys and disappearing like that?" Kaoru breathed out in relief. She recalled with Akemi had said about the two of them having feelings for each other and she blushed.

He smiled down at her. "Akemi liked you. She's normally not…very friendly."

"Well I'd be bitter too if I was stuck in the body of an eight-year-old for the rest of my life."

They continued walking down the path for another five minutes until they saw the path bend to the right. Kaoru's breath caught in her throat, tears filling her eyes before she tore herself from Kenshin and sprinted to the bend in the road. Kenshin was quickly behind her and stopped where she stopped – at the all-too familiar fork in the road.

Kaoru's heart began beating at an impossibly fast rate. Seeing the fork again made her think about the decision that took too long to make. The decision that allowed the monster enough time to find her…

She felt her legs go weak, wanting more than ever to sit down. Black spots started to appear before her eyes before she collapsed into Kenshin's quick and steady arms.

She was shaken awake by Kenshin, who was kneeling in the dirt so she could rest in his lap. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." He said with a weak smile.

She swallowed, shame burning inside her. "I'm sorry…I…"

"It was scarring, Kaoru. Don't make it seem less severe than it really was. It's okay to feel vulnerable." He said softly. Shakily getting to her legs, she supported herself by putting most of her weight onto Kenshin's hands. When she got to her feet, she looked at the two paths once again. "Your heart was beating as fast as it was when you were a child…like a hummingbird's." He said.

She took a deep breath through the nose and out the mouth. "Sorry…"

"Now who's the one apologizing?" He said, a spark of humor in his eyes.

She smiled fully, glad that he was able to make her feel better. Her eyes shifted to the untried path – the right. Curiosity burned as she wondered where that path led to. "Where does the right lead to?" She asked.

His face fell. "I don't know if that's best…I don't think you want to know."

"I have had eleven years to wonder what would have happen to me if I went the other fork, please tell me."

"I hope you don't pass out. But just in case," he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his body, "no hitting heads on the dirt." He smiled fleetingly before turning serious. "If you went right…eventually…you would have come to the House of Mezaris." He said quietly, as if saying it that soft would make the answer easier to accept.

"Wh-what?" She felt lightheaded once again.

"It would have been a very, very long walk, but…one of the vampires would have found you along the way…" He trailed off, not wanting to picture the possibility as much as she didn't.

"It's like…I was already sucked into your world. Before I even knew for sure what you were. It was always there…hovering over me." She choked out.

He frowned. "Yes, it does seem that way. Once you get involved with us, you never truly can get away."

"How did you know I was here, huh? What made you think that there was a survivor, that there was possibly one?" She asked desperately with a cracked voice.

He looked behind to the trees on the side of the path. "I knew the vampire was running after another mortal…I heard your light footsteps and your heart…" He looked down at her with a gaze that held many emotions: protectiveness, care…. "Your heart was what allowed me to find you. It was pounding in fear for your life…in pain and confusion for your parents…it was too many emotions for a young girl to have." He explained in a whisper.

Kaoru's eyes filled once again with tears before she threw herself onto him, hugging him as tightly as she could as she sobbed into his chest. He froze, suddenly resembling a statue before he put his arms around her, gently pulling her close.

"It's alright…" He whispered soothingly, stroking her hair calmingly. "Let it all out, you'll be alright…"

She tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths of his coat. She noted dimly it smelled faintly of sandalwood.

* * *

Kenshin and Kaoru walked back to the house, this time with their hands laced together. They said nothing the entire way until Kenshin stopped ten feet away from the front door.

"There are three people in the house." He stated.

"Riko, Hiraku…maybe one of his friends?" She guessed.

His eyes narrowed. "I sense one powerful person." He murmured before slowly walking to the door. "Stay behind me."

She obeyed and took a step back so he was partially shielding her. When he opened the door, they found Riko and Hiraku sitting on a sofa, looking straight at the two of them, and a man who Kaoru immediately recognized to be Akira Kiyosato.

"What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked rudely to Akira.

All of a sudden, a generic ring tone filled the room. Kenshin reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a sleek, silver phone. Kaoru couldn't hear anyone speak, the only evidence that Kenshin was speaking to someone was that his face was subtly changing from shock, to anger.

"Thanks, I'll see you at the school." Kenshin muttered, shutting his phone and putting it back in his pocket. He looked up at Akira and continued to stare at him intensely. Akira, on the other hand, was staring at Kenshin very calmly, with a slightly triumphant spark in his eye.

All of a sudden, Kenshin became a blur of black and was standing in front of Kaoru crouched in a fighting stance, a gloved hand over the hilt of a sword. Akira during that time had stood up and pulled out a silver revolver, pointing it directly at Kenshin.

"Akira Akado is a catchy alias, don't you think?" Akira said smoothly, moving his arm so the revolver was pointing between Kenshin's eyes.

Kaoru stared at the scene before her in horror. "What are you doing here?" She cried.

"He's a vampire hunter, Kaoru. Akira Akado was his alias. Kiyosato is his real name." Kenshin said, his eyes never leaving Akira's gun.

"How did you figure it out?" Kaoru asked, completely floored. Her eyes suddenly shifted to Riko who seemed as if she was going to faint. She was shocked to see Hiraku seemed very calm about the situation.

"Your professor's death is just another number in long list of senseless killings. I knew that one that was beheaded was a vampire…but only another vampire could've killed it. I wanted to find who it was. Lucky for me, he came into full sight by actually joining the school!" He answered, his face contorting into an ugly smirk.

"I do not wish the children harm. I will be leaving the school by the beginning of the next school year." Kenshin answered calmly.

"Can you please stop pointing that _thing_ in his face and try to talk about this civilly?" Kaoru demanded, her voice shaking slightly.

Akira froze for a moment, looking at Kenshin. She saw the two of them nod at the same time before Akira lowered his gun at the same time Kenshin stood up properly. Letting out a sigh of relief, she moved so she was standing next to Kenshin.

Looking toward Riko and Hiraku, she saw Riko was looking at Kenshin with a look mixed with horror and disgust. "Vampire." She hissed, stepping closer to Akira. Kenshin hid his eyes behind his red bangs and said nothing.

"You have to be the most human looking vampire at the school. You fit in a lot more than the dark-haired couple. What is your true form, hm? You are obviously holding back terrible power." Akira said thoughtfully, but with a sharp tone.

"He _saved_ me eleven years ago!" Kaoru said, slightly standing in front of the silent Kenshin who put a strong hand on her shoulder in response.

Akira seemed to have been caught off guard by this statement. "A bloodsucker…_saving a human?_" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, he saved me from the crazy vampire that killed my parents." She replied softly, ignoring the exclamation of shock from Riko.

Akira seemed to have pondered for a moment before saying, "I should kill you too for being a vampire lover. For all I know you could be planning on becoming one."

The hand on Kaoru's shoulder became tense as Kenshin gripped it tighter. "There are no such plans for her, so get that thought out of your head." He said in a dangerous voice.

Akira raised his gun back up, this time pointing it at Kaoru. She heard a snarl from Kenshin before he placed himself more in front of her in black blur. With shock and a bit of fear, she noticed his eyes were glowing amber, his black pupils the shape of a cat's, and a pair of ivory fangs protruding from his gums. He was in a crouch again, but this time his sword was unsheathed, revealing its silvery brilliance as it glinted in the light, reflecting rainbow prisms on the walls.

"Behold, the true monster within." Akira stated, watching Kenshin with eyes filled with revulsion, achievement, and slight fear.

* * *

A/N: Dum, dum, duuuummm. So Akira is, in fact, a vampire hunter! I'm not sure who guessed it, but someone was right on the mark. Anyway, the next...like...two chapters I believe and this one should _really_ be a super long chapter since it all connects together...so the next chapter will answer some of your questions :)

Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are amazing, as usual!

MissGoalie


	9. Chapter Nine

A/N: Umm…school sucks? Yeah, pretty much. Not only is cross country killing me, I pulled my right groin! So now it hurts when I walk and/or do any physical activity. The only good thing that came out of this week was that my hair was very cooperative (which is making me highly suspicious that something else is going to be a disaster.)

Good thing there's a three day weekend :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Nine

"Stop this! I don't want blood to stain this house! Do you understand me? NO BLOOD!" Kaoru screamed, tears flowing down her face freely.

Kenshin whipped his head around to stare at her with wide amber eyes. She glared back at him, hoping he would listen to her. Watching his eyes slowly change from amber back to the violet shade she loved. He finally sighed, relaxing his pose.

"I do not want blood to be spilt either. This home was just cleansed, after all." Kenshin said softly, sheathing his sword. "Maybe we can talk about this outside? I think Kaoru has some explaining to do with her foster parents."

Akira bit his bottom lip, his arm holding the gun lowering slightly. "Fine. No weapons though." He said finally.

Kenshin untied his sword from his pants and placed it against the door. "As you wish. But I must remind you that I could kill you with my hands if I wanted to."

Akira tossed his gun from across the room to where Kenshin's sword laid. "I know." He said simply before walking out to the door. "It's a natural human instinct – to feel safe if no one is armed."

Kenshin gave a sad smile before walking over to the door to follow Akira, but turned around to meet Riko and Hiraku's gazes. "I'm sorry for my actions earlier. It was disgusting and quite outside my normal behavior." He said sincerely before walking outside and shutting the door behind him quietly.

Kaoru closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten before looking at her foster parents. "Er…not quite what you were expecting, right?" She joked weakly.

Riko and Hiraku didn't smile. "Vampires…can't exist…" Riko said before sitting down on the couch, looking very dazed.

"Riko, they do. You accepted this earlier." Kaoru said sternly.

Riko swallowed. "It's too…unbelievable." She whispered.

Kaoru looked toward Hiraku who had no expression on his face. "You're very calm about this." She stated, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Hiraku sighed. "Yes."

"You knew of vampires before now."

"Yes."

"How?"

Hiraku looked at Kaoru's chest where her amulet rested. "I read of gemstones…being used as protection."

"Well of course, they're just legends to us. I've heard about them too." Kaoru said, getting confused.

"You misunderstand. I read of demon creatures being thwarted by gemstones. Garnet being one…almandine."

Kaoru's eyes widened as she gasped, putting a hand over her chest. "You knew for eleven years, then. Your beliefs were confirmed when I was found."

"Well, your lie about your family giving you that amulet did not fool me." He admitted.

Kaoru flushed. "Kenshin gave it to me."

"Well, that makes sense. His reaction to having a gun being pointed at your head was…" He trailed off, as if he didn't want his train of thought to be true if said it out loud.

She glared at him. "We're close, Hiraku. He saved me twice and he trusted me with his past. And I trust him…a lot. More than anyone."

His grey eyes widened slightly. "Well…he doesn't seem to want to hurt you."

"I trust him with my life. I want you to trust him, too." Kaoru said quietly, looking to Riko hopefully.

The door suddenly creaked open, revealing Kenshin with a sheepish expression. "I have spoken with Mr. Kiyosato and he has agreed to back away from the school under the condition that nobody shall be hurt."

Kaoru sighed in relief, a smile forming on her face. "See? No fighting necessary!" She said cheerfully.

Kenshin smiled. "You're right. No fighting is needed."

Riko stood up and looked at Kenshin, internally debating with herself. Kenshin looked back at her with kind violet eyes, and Kaoru knew right away that Riko was going to trust him.

"Thank you…for everything you've done." She said finally, her voice steady.

Kenshin smiled openly, revealing perfectly normal teeth. "No need. I am very sorry about all of this trouble." He said, shutting the door behind him and bowing slightly. Kaoru looked at him in shock – she had never seen him so polite.

Riko and Hiraku seemed to be thrown off as well by his behavior. "Oh…well…of course. After all, you did save Kaoru and direct her to here…" Riko stuttered.

"I do have one small request, Mrs. Kamiya, if you would be so kind as to let me stay in your home until Monday?" Kenshin asked kindly.

"Why?" Hiraku demanded.

"It would be best if I was here for protection. Although Akira did not mention having anyone with him, it's better to be safe." Kenshin lied, his eyes reflecting honesty. Riko was hesitant. "Don't worry. I do not kill for…my needs. Animals are fine – in fact, if you have any objections or preferences as to animals that you wish to keep alive or want dead, please let me know." He said calmly before throwing in a small smile.

"Of course you can stay, Kenshin. There should be no thought involved in answering." Kaoru blurted.

"I suppose it's okay…" Riko said slowly.

"Wonderful! Before you know it, the weekend will be over and you will most likely never see me again." Kenshin replied.

Kaoru felt a stabbing pain in her heart when he said that. She didn't want to think about never seeing Kenshin again because she knew that she could never just let him go as she did eleven years ago.

"Is Nyoko here? I need to speak with her." Kenshin asked, looking all around the room. Nyoko seemed to have come from no where, walking over to Kenshin while meowing like a normal cat. Kaoru noted that one of her tails was gone. "Lovely. I will speak to you later in the afternoon," he was staring at Kaoru before glancing at the whole family, "and have you thought about which animals you would like for me to avoid?"

Riko blanched before saying, "There are some gofers under the desk…it keeps eating my plants…" She trailed off, looking slightly queasy.

"Deer are becoming a pain." Hiraku added.

Kenshin nodded, a pleasant smile on his face. "Alright then." He nodded to them in farewell before striding out the door and shutting it behind him.

Riko and Hiraku looked to Kaoru expectantly. "Um…maybe I should give you the lowdown on what's happening." Kaoru said before walking over to an armchair and sitting down. "It's kind of a long story."

* * *

Kaoru had explained how her parents were killed by a vampire, but Kenshin saved her from the same fate. She also explained how she had never seen him again until recently when he saved her, yet again, from another vampire killing her. She told them that he was enrolled in the school as a safety precaution. She didn't mention the magic circles or Enishi in her story.

"So what's he doing now? _Feeding?_" Riko asked in slight disgust.

"Well…yeah. Would you rather him be draining our neighbors instead?" Kaoru replied with her eyebrows rose. She then sighed, sitting up straighter in her seat. "Look, it's only for today and tomorrow. We'll be going back to school on Monday and it will be the end of it."

"I don't know if I like him at the school…" Hiraku said slowly.

"Why not?" Kaoru retorted.

"It's not because he's a vampire, it's a father issue." He replied, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Oh," Kaoru's face flushed in embarrassment, "it's okay, nothing can happen between us." She muttered, looking down at her hands.

A pair of slightly wrinkled hands covered hers. Kaoru looked up to face Riko's deep brown eyes. "Don't be so negative. The positive forces of this house should be uplifting you."

Kaoru squeezed her hands in appreciation.

"Don't give her any ideas! Vampire or not, he's still a…well…not a boy, really…" Hiraku stammered.

Kaoru smiled. "Don't worry, Hiraku." She said rather dreamily. He will soon be human and everything will be well, she thought to herself.

"Oh, I think we should." Riko said flatly.

Kaoru looked down and noted with horror that the palms of her hands were facing upwards, completely exposed. "Damn it." She hissed.

"What is this?" Riko demanded, sounding hysterical.

The door slammed open to reveal a windswept Kenshin. "Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya – you should be leaving right now."

"What?" Hiraku asked, his face betraying his anger.

"Enishi is staking out the neighborhood." Kenshin said to Kaoru.

Kaoru's mouth dropped in horror. "Riko and Hiraku – leave the house right now. I don't care where you go – just get out of here!"

"Who's Enishi? Kaoru?" Riko asked desperately.

Kaoru fought the tears that threatened to fall. "Please, go. I'll call you later, I promise." She whispered, afraid her voice would crack.

Riko's mouth fell open in shock as well. "And what about you?"

Kaoru looked at Kenshin. "I'll be fine."

Kenshin looked back at her with so much intensity, that Kaoru knew that she was safer with no one else.

"We'll want an explanation for this." Hiraku grumbled before striding up the stairs.

"Oh, but what about All Hallow's Eve?" Riko whined.

"Next year we'll do it." Kaoru promised.

"This is horrible…but the goddess will forgive…this situation is clearly not avoidable…" Riko muttered. Kaoru smiled slightly, happy to find her foster mother back to her normal self.

Hiraku came down the stairs, carrying one bag. "I packed for you." He said to Riko.

"Is there anywhere you can go?" Kenshin asked.

"My sister's. She lives an hour away." Riko responded.

"That's perfect. I'd go south and then go back east. Although it will add another hour or so to the drive, you will avoid Enishi." Kenshin explained, opening the door for the couple. "Your daughter will remain safe with me. I have promised her my protection." He said seriously.

"I trust you." Hiraku said shortly before stepping past Kenshin to his car parked outside. "Let's go, Riko. We'll call the house after –"

"Call my cell phone, actually." Kenshin interrupted, handing Hiraku a piece of paper with what Kaoru assumed to have Kenshin's phone. "Please memorize the number and give the paper back to me."

Hiraku studied the piece of paper for a moment before giving it back to Kenshin, who pocketed the paper. "I will call when we reach the house." Hiraku said as Riko hugged Kaoru.

"Be careful." She whispered in Kaoru's ear before leaving with Hiraku and shutting the door behind her.

Kenshin bolted the door before turning to Kaoru. He looked around the room once before resting his eyes on the ceiling. "Your foster parents are definitely not fond of me."

"You were _listening?_" Kaoru asked, horrified.

"Vampires have an incredible sense of hearing…and they were quite loud." He admitted.

She groaned, putting her head in her hands. "I'm going to have to explain _everything_ now." She grumbled.

"You should have in the first place. I did wonder why you didn't mention Enishi."

"I mean about the magic circle! Riko noticed! I don't want to tell her what it can do…what I have to do for it."

Kenshin's eyes widened before he glided over to her gracefully and kneeled in front of her. "What do these circles mean?" He asked, his bright violet eyes probing into her sapphire ones.

"Life, Kenshin. I'm going to make you mortal." She said, her heart almost aching at how uplifted it felt.

His auburn eyebrows disappeared behind his bangs. "Life?" He repeated.

"Yes. I mean, I'll have to spill a bit of my blood, but that's no problem. Don't you see, Kenshin? You can be mortal again and…" She drifted off. What would happen afterwards? Would the two of them…?

His eyes began to glisten from their own as he lightly held her hands. "Are you sure?" He whispered, his hope obviously seen on his face.

Kaoru smiled before laughing. "Yes!" She felt tears come to her eyes. "You can be _human_. Like me." She said quietly.

He beamed so brightly at her that she forgot how to breathe for a moment. He moved his hands from hers to hold her face. "You have no idea what this means for me." He murmured, laying his forehead against hers. She could only feel the hair of his bangs against her skin, but she closed her eyes, reveling in being so close to him.

"The house smells like you now." She said softly. "Sandalwood was always my favorite incense…now I know why…"

Kenshin pulled away immediately and stared around the house. "I _knew_ that the house smelled…_shit_…not good." He stood up to pace around the house quickly. "He is still in the school…he can't be around here for very long without causing suspicion…tomorrow he'll come…" He muttered under his breath.

"Enishi's coming?" Kaoru asked in a whispery voice.

"Tomorrow, indefinitely. That will give us time to plan." Kenshin said calmly.

Nyoko had curled herself by Kaoru's feet, watching Kenshin pace.

_She cannot be touched as long as that amulet is around her neck._

"Yes…that is true."

"But what about _you?_ I don't want you to get hurt!" Kaoru exclaimed.

_This will not be the final confrontation, Kaoru. They are going to talk…maybe fight a bit…but it will not be a fight to the death._

Kaoru bit her lip. "I don't want _any_ confrontation."

She heard Nyoko sigh sadly.

_I'm afraid his hatred cannot be extinguished by talking._

Kaoru knew she was childish to think that way, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed and sad. "I want to be alone…no offense." She said before standing up and walking to the staircase.

"I will wake you when your foster parents call." Kenshin said as she walked up the stairs. "Sleep well."

She couldn't help but smile at this comment.

* * *

Kaoru was gently woken by Kenshin, who merely held out his phone to her. She groggily took it and put it against her ear, yelping when she felt how cold it was. Kenshin had a sheepish look on his face.

"_What was that?? Are you okay?_"

Kaoru sighed in relief. "I'm fine, Riko, fine. You got there okay?"

"_Yes, just fine. Now I want to know about this Enishi character right now._"

She took a deep breath. "Okay. Enishi wants…revenge…for something that Kenshin did…"

"_HOW IS THAT MAKING YOU SAFE? STAYING WITH HIM?!_" Riko yelled on the other line.

"Riko! Talk to Hiraku about my amulet…I can't be touched by him while wearing it."

Riko sighed. "_I really don't like this._"

"I don't either, but we just have to get through it and everything will go back to normal soon."

"_How can it be normal with vampires around?_"

"Riko, they've _always_ been around. That _is_ the real normal. You just have accept it." Kaoru sighed, feeling like she would have to continually force the facts into her foster mother's head.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone. "_I know, Kaoru, I know._" Riko said with the most seriousness Kaoru had ever heard. "_You've had years of mulling the possibility._"

Kaoru bit her lip. "Sorry…I didn't mean anything."

"_Stay safe…I love you. We both do._"

Kaoru put a hand to her mouth, hoping she could hold back her sobs for another minute. "I love you too." She whispered before carefully shutting the phone. After staring at the silver phone for a few seconds, she brought her face into her hands and cried openly.

She felt a strong around her shoulders, bringing her head onto a cold shoulder. Kenshin said nothing to this act of affection and simply allowed her to cry until she fell asleep against him.

He woke her up at ten in the morning with a traditional breakfast in bed, making Kaoru wake up with a laugh. He had made three pancakes – one plain, one with blueberries, and one with chocolate chips; a side plate of cut strawberries, and a glass of milk.

"You _really _didn't have to do this." Kaoru said, blushing while she unwrapped her fork and knife from a napkin.

"I was rather bored, to be quite honest. But you haven't eaten since yesterday morning as well." Kenshin added, taking a seat at the edge of her bed and watching her eat.

"True, I'm starving." She said in between chews.

"Happy Halloween." He said with a grim smile.

She dropped her fork onto her plate and swallowed. "Right. Halloween. Enishi's coming."

He sighed as he eyed the food on her plate. "You will not be touched." He stated.

"I know you won't let anything happen to me…I'm just worried about you and Nyoko."

In perfect timing, Nyoko had came through the window to perch herself at the foot of Kaoru's bed.

_Enishi is heading this way. He'll be here in an hour or so._

Kaoru couldn't finish her breakfast, although it was very delicious. "Thanks for making me breakfast…it was really good. Best pancakes I've had in a really long time." She said in a low voice before placing the tray on the floor. "I'm going to change and try not to fall apart before he comes."

It looked as if he wanted to say something, but decided it was better if he didn't. He let her search through her drawers and change in the bathroom without commenting. She came out wearing jeans and a tight long sleeve shirt that matched Kenshin's purple eyes.

"So what do we do? Twiddle our thumbs and wait for him?" Kaoru asked with a slightly frosty tone.

"I know you wish me to refute that…but I'm afraid that's all we can do." Kenshin replied with patience.

She bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm sorry; I don't mean to be a bitch. I just don't want him here."

"Understandable." He said, squatting to pick up the tray of food. "Are you sure you're done?"

"Yeah, thanks."

He looked down at the food. "I have a confession." He stated without looking up. She held her breath and waited. "I've always wanted to taste chocolate."

She was not expecting that. "What?"

"Well, I was rather poor in my time…and milk chocolate wasn't really made until the 1870's…after the time I was changed."

"Okay then. The first thing you're going to eat is a Hershey bar. Or maybe chocolate chip cookies…or maybe…" She trailed off when a smile slowly grew on his handsome face.

"Sounds lovely."

Later that hour, the two of them had relocated downstairs to the living room. Both of them were reading books – Kaoru was reading one of the English texts and Kenshin was reading a book that was in Japanese.

All of a sudden, he shut his book closed rather loudly and completely froze, his body very still, causing Kaoru to look up at him. His eyes narrowed slightly and his nose twitched before he moved to the window with inhuman speed and grace. "No…" She heard him whisper before he left the house. Kaoru quickly stood up and ran out the door only to bump into his hard back.

She didn't need to look to see what Kenshin had smelled – blood. A lot of blood.

"Who's dead?" She whispered with a broken voice.

She heard a frightening chuckle that was scarier than anything she had heard in a horror movie.

"I'm glad you didn't send her away. It will make things much easier."

Kaoru saw Kenshin's hands clench into fists. "Why did you have to bring the body here?" He asked quietly.

"I wasn't quite done with him until I got here." She heard Enishi said nonchalantly. "Besides, it'll slowly torture you. I heard you haven't drained a human before…is that really true?" Kenshin said nothing. "Oh, I guess that's a lie. How many did you kill?"

"That is none of your business, Yukishiro." Kenshin growled, shocking Kaoru. She had never heard him refer to Enishi by his last name.

"Touchy, I see. Or maybe it's because of the blood? It does smell lovely…not to mention the young mortal woman right behind you…it would make _me_ rather irritable."

She in took a breath and bit her lip, stepping back. The last thing she wanted was to cause a disadvantage for Kenshin.

"Kaoru, please step inside the house and do not come out until I tell you." She heard him say softly, but she could tell he was straining for control.

More than anything she wanted to say something to him – anything to loosen the tension in his shoulders. Instead, she slowly walked back inside the house. As soon as she shut the door, there was an immediate clashing of metal. Rushing to the window, she threw open the curtains to reveal the duel.

She saw a bloodied corpse by her mailbox, its head at an unnatural position, revealing the horror-struck face of Akira Kiyosato. Her eyes slowly moved from the body to the two vampires who were fighting with incredible speed. She could barely keep up with their moments, only briefly seeing them once every few seconds. When she thought that the two were equal, Enishi had managed to slash Kenshin on his side, sending him flying back twenty feet.

"Kenshin!" She cried instinctively, gripping the window pane.

He got up from the ground, much to her relief, but charged himself at Enishi once again, blood oozing from his side. Kenshin didn't seem to have lost any speed in Kaoru's opinion, but for a moment when she could see the two of them clearly, Enishi had a triumphant grin on his face.

During this split second, Kenshin had managed to make a large gash in Enishi's leg. She heard him growl loudly like an animal as he glanced down at his wounded leg. Kenshin was back in a neutral fighting stance, his sword out in front of him glistening with blood.

After another moment, Enishi screamed before attacking Kenshin. This time after only a minute, Enishi had hit his shoulder, sending him to the ground on his knees.

Without bothering to think of the consequences, Kaoru burst the through the front door and yelled, "Stop!"

Enishi had frozen mid swing, his sharp eyes focusing on her. "Don't even try to be noble. You stand no chance against me. Soon you will be my ever so sweet dessert." He revealed his fangs, making her shudder involuntarily. All of a sudden, he was right next to her, breathing in her scent.

Kaoru quickly thought back to when she was the young age of seven when her foster parents taught her an easy spell for protection. She visualized a triple circle of purplish light around herself and whimpered, "_Thrice around the circle's bound, Evil sink into the ground_."

As soon as the words escaped her lips, her amulet burned against her chest and Enishi was immediately thrown back over one hundred feet. She looked over to Kenshin and ran over to him.

"I told you not to leave the house." He mumbled, his hand on his shoulder and his eyes covered by his bangs.

"You were about to be killed, you overprotective fool." She said, the weakest smile on her face.

He suddenly raised his head, revealing surprised eyes. She turned around to find Enishi with his sword high. All she did was throw her arms out in protection of Kenshin and closed her eyes, preparing for death.

She heard the sound of the sword slicing through the cold October air, but did not feel any pain except a splash of hot liquid hitting her face and body.

Opening her eyes a crack, she saw Enishi staring at the ground with a mixture of surprise, anger, and curiosity. Following his eyes, she saw Nyoko completely covered in blood and severed in half.

She felt a sharp pain inside her head that lasted for a few moments. When the pain left suddenly, she was able to think straight and realize that something had just entered her mind:

_The sacrifice shall be me. Take my second tail for the ritual. Make sure Kenshin does not kill himself trying to get revenge for my death. I deserve this…and any way to make Kenshin happy is enough for my contentment. Please take care of him, he is so fond of you…more than you could possibly know. I'm sorry for my behavior earlier, you could say I was rather jealous of his feelings for you. Childish, yes. I do hope demons can go to heaven...and maybe I will see you there at a much later time._

_Farewell._

* * *

A/N: Kudos to _thereviewergirl_ – she was the only one to correctly guess that Nyoko would be the sacrifice! I think this is the longest chapter to date for this fic…(random tidbit)

I hope everyone enjoys the three day weekend because I know I will :)

Please review!

MissGoalie


	10. Chapter Ten

A/N: Sorry for the late update – homework is a pain, finishing up driver's ed is stressful, and cross country on top of it all is not making it any easier.

BUT – I have AWESOME news – someone has nominated me for the RKRC Awards for my fic Converse under the Alternate Reality category! I'm very happy right now :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Kaoru collapsed to her knees, her head harboring a ghost of the pain it once had. The smell of Nyoko's blood rushed through her nasal passages, making her gag as she started to cry.

She suddenly stopped when she heard ragged breathing behind her. Slowly turning her head, she watched Kenshin's shoulders move up and down as he gripped his shoulder tightly. When he lifted his head, his eyes seemed to burn amber as the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. He hissed at Enishi, revealing his set of dangerous fangs for a moment before pushing Kaoru back a foot and attacking Enishi with an anguished cry.

This time it seemed Kenshin had the upper hand in this fight. He was moving even faster than before, putting Enishi on the defensive. They only paused once, giving enough time for Kaoru to see his face – there were red streaks going down his cheeks, confusing her.

She realized that he was crying tears of blood.

When she finished that thought, a flash of white came out of nowhere and slammed into the fighting duo in midair. They fell over fifty feet to the left of her and crashed into the ground, making a small crater.

She got up to her feet unsteadily and ran over to the hole. When the dirt cleared, she noticed with shock that Seijuro was in between the two vampires holding both arms that were carrying swords.

"You cannot settle this now! There are _humans _around here." Seijuro said harshly, forcing Enishi's sword out of his hand with ease.

"Let us finish this, old man! It's none of your business." Enishi snapped, hissing his fangs at Seijuro.

"It becomes my business when my stupid apprentice is about to risk his life for something he shouldn't."

"Let him go, _shisho_." Kenshin said with a low voice, not even struggling.

"No. Look at you – there's no way this is continuing." Seijuro said calmly before looking over at Kaoru, who was trying to wipe her face of the blood. "You should go inside to clean up. Throw away those clothes." Seijuro said, more kindly than she had ever heard him speak.

Seijuro shot at death glare at Enishi, who stared back at him for a minute before growling and biting out, "Fine." He ripped his arms out of Seijuro's grasp and sheathed his sword quickly. "This isn't over." He directed his comment to Kenshin.

"No need for such a cliché statement." Kenshin retorted, but with a softer voice.

"I'll have to get this idiot back to the school. Maybe stop at a hospital to get blood for him since the last thing we need is him draining the students." Seijuro said with slight disgust on his face. Kaoru looked over to Kenshin, who had dropped back to his knees again, looking at Nyoko's dead body. Seijuro had followed her gaze and became hesitant for a moment, as if he was debating whether or not to leave. "Do not go near him. He has lot a lot of blood and…I'm not sure how much he can control himself."

For the first time in her life, she was almost frightened to be around Kenshin. When Hiko left, she stayed frozen to the ground, feeling as if she was in a cage with a hungry lion.

She looked to where Enishi's sword was cast aside before gazing over Nyoko's body. Remembering her last message, she slowly walked over to the sword, making sure Kenshin didn't move. She tried to pick up the sword before realizing how heavy it truly was. Instead, she dragged it over to Nyoko with difficulty.

By the time she reached her body, she was in a sweat. Taking a few breaths, she found her two tails, both spread out so it would be an easy slice. Using all her strength, she brought the sword up a few inches from the ground so it hovered over one of Nyoko's tails.

As soon as she was about to cut off the tail, she felt something extremely fast and hard collide into her, pinning her to the ground. She looked up to find Kenshin on top of her, his face twisted into fury.

"K-Ken…" She said inaudibly. He was out of his normal state of mind, this she knew well. But she also knew that she was very much exposed.

"Don't…touch…her…" He hissed, revealing his fangs.

"Sh…she asked me too. It's needed for the ritual, remember? So you can be mortal." She said calmly, as if she were talking to a child.

Kenshin didn't say anything. Instead, he switched his gaze from her eyes down lower. She knew he was looking at her fast pulse in her neck. Swallowing, she watched his face which was hypnotized by her pulse.

"I…can't refuse what you want. My amulet won't protect me because…I think I don't need protecting. If you really need it…take it." She craned her neck so it was better exposed. "But silver hurts you…so you'd have to take it off first." She whispered.

He froze with his lips only a few centimeters away from her neck. She held her breath, waiting for him to make a move. He quickly lifted his weight off her and backed away from her so they were a good distance away.

His skin was almost translucent as his eyes shone so brightly, as if stars were inside his very eyes. Fear was reflected his face as he stared at her.

"It's alright, Kenshin. You didn't hurt me, I'm okay." Kaoru said reassuringly.

It looked as if he was trying to say something, but he couldn't find the right words. He only scooted back a few more feet away from her. She sighed before getting up from the dirt and walking back to the sword.

"I'm going to cut off her tail, okay? I won't do anything else…not like she hasn't been mutilated enough." She choked out as she kneeled down to pick up the sword.

She closed her eyes when she dropped the sword on the tail, not wanting to see it severed. Cracking one of her eyes open, she saw the tail completely separated from the body, making her feel a mixture of relief and sickness.

"God, Kaoru. Why did you do _that_?" Misao said in her ear, sending Kaoru screaming in fright.

"Damn it, Misao! Do you _mind?_" Kaoru yelled in anger.

"She didn't do it – Enishi did. She just…severed a tail?" Seijuro said, ending the sentence as a question, confused about her action.

"We'll need to accompany him into the forests so he can feed." Aoshi added in a low voice as he helped Kenshin to his feet.

"The magic circle in that garnet room – it's for a ritual to bring the dead back to life." Kaoru explained as Seijuro joined Aoshi's side.

Everyone froze and stared at her with wide eyes. "Life?" Misao whispered.

"One of the…steps is the body of demon who sacrificed her life…Nyoko made herself the sacrifice." She continued, tears filling her eyes.

Misao looked down at the ground with a solemn expression on her face. "I see." She was silent for a few moments. "We have to get Himura some blood in him before he gets back to school. I think we might have to go to a club, get some human blood in him."

"No…" Kenshin said weakly.

Misao rolled her eyes. "Yes, or else you'll go insane when you suddenly become surrounded by hundreds of mortals. Aoshi and I will go with you!" She added cheerfully.

"We're going to find some animals for him to feed on and then we will go." Aoshi said.

"I think I'm going to change…and maybe throw up…" Kaoru said, looking down at her stained clothes.

"Misao, stay with Kaoru in the house until we come back." Seijuro said.

Misao nodded at Seijuro and Aoshi before they ran into the forest with Kenshin, disappearing from sight. Kaoru turned from Misao and walked slowly to the front door.

"I'm going to bury her body. You wanted to keep the tail?" Misao asked softly.

"Yeah…thanks…" Kaoru choked as she gripped the door handle tightly. She opened the door and cut Misao off by saying anything else by closing the door loudly.

When she reached her bathroom, she closed the door slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible as it clicked shut. After locking the door, she turned the shower on as hot as it would go. Stripping out of her bloodstained clothes, she never felt as dirty before in her life. She stepped under the hot water, crying out when the water burned her skin. But she immediately broke down into sobs, scarcely feeling the heat. Grabbing a washcloth, she scrubbed her face and every inch of her body until most of her skin was red, raw in some places.

"Kaoru?" She heard Misao ask from the other side of the door. "Get out. You'll burn yourself and regret it in the morning."

Kaoru immediately switched from hot to cold, not even feeling the difference for a few seconds. She sighed in relief as the cold water acted as a balm to her burnt skin.

"Kaoru – I have to go with Aoshi to get Kenshin some blood. Seijuro will be in the house." Misao said impatiently.

Kaoru shut off the shower. "He's back?"

"Yeah. He doesn't trust himself to be near you quite yet…so hold on one second."

Kaoru took a towel and started to dry herself gently, wincing whenever the terrycloth rubbed against her skin. She looked back at her stained clothes and decided not to touch them with her bare hands again. She would get them later. Opening the door, she came face to face with Kenshin.

She immediately blushed before wanting to slap her forehead. To blush when being in such close contact with him wasn't the best thing to do with him. She immediately stepped back until her calves were touching the bathtub.

"Sorry, I know. Watch my blushing." She breathed, holding her towel tighter.

He was looking toward the ground, a sheepish expression. "I'm…_so_ sorry…"

She smiled. "Don't worry about it." She bit her lip. "Are you okay?"

He raised his eyes to look at her in shock. "Am _I_ okay? Why are you worrying about something like _that?_ You…" He started before trailing off. His eyes suddenly narrowed in anger. "I told you _not_ to leave the house!"

She shook her head. "How could I just watch you getting hurt? Besides, Nyoko was planning on being the sacrifice no matter what happened." She whispered.

He froze, staring at her for a few moments before hiding his eyes behind his bangs. "I have to leave. I'll be back before nightfall." He said softly before walking away.

She ran out of the bathroom and saw that he was halfway down the hallway before she shut her bedroom door. Biting her lip, she screwed her eyes shut, unsure of what to think. She shut her bedroom door and tried not to think about the fact that she had been practically naked in front of him.

* * *

Kaoru was sitting in the middle of the living room with four candles around her. They were light blue for healing, purple for protection and spiritual contact, white for protection and renewal, and silver for removal of negative powers. Lost in her meditation, she almost felt peaceful…except for the sudden remembrances of Nyoko that kept coming to mind. She was almost glad that she closed her eyes – she would have never wanted to see her death.

The door opened from across the room to reveal Kenshin holding a white plastic bag with Chinese characters on it. "I thought you would be hungry." He said, walking across the room. He froze a few feet away from her and her circle of candles. "Are you almost done?" He asked kindly.

"Yeah, I'll eat." She said, blowing each of the candles out before standing up. "Afraid of fire?"

"More like…I don't want to do any possible damage to the house. Your yard is already soiled with blood…"

"Let's not talk about that at dinner." She suddenly grinned. "Hah, blood is _your_ dinner…so it doesn't really make sense for you…wow! That's actually really funny." She broke out into giggles, covering her mouth with her hand.

He looked at her as if she had just lost her mind. "You really need some sleep." He muttered.

She became somber and sighed. "Yeah." He glided past her to a wooden table placed to the left of the kitchen. "How do you know that I'll like whatever you ordered?" She asked with curiosity.

He pointed to the phone where a phonebook laid along with multiple pamphlets. "I ordered what your family circled on the menu for Jasmine's."

"Oh." She froze with one paper plate in her hand. "So…um…"

He smiled at her. "It's fine. I'm okay."

She shut the door to the lower cabinet and helped Kenshin unpack the large amount of food he ordered. "Why did you double everything?"

"Well, the fact that you haven't eaten in a long amount of time worried me. Second, I thought of saving your foster parents the worry of food for a little while."

"Where is Nyoko's body?" She asked quietly as she opened the carton of white rice.

"She's buried where she was killed. You mustn't separate a demon from the place she was murdered. It's better to let the body rest in peace." He explained a bit blandly, as if he was making sure not to show any emotion.

Kaoru took the fork that Kenshin placed next to her and began to eat directly from the carton of rice. "So…what do you normally take? Animal blood?"

He looked startled for a moment as he sat down next to her. "Yeah, we all do. Human blood isn't very good for us. I mean, it is, but too much will cause serious…complications."

"Like what?" She asked as she stabbed a piece of General Tso's Chicken.

"If we continually drink human blood in such small portions…we will get greedy and want more. Eventually we won't be able to stop ourselves from completely draining a mortal…killing them."

She nibbled on the chicken. "But human blood makes you stronger…"

"Yes. It's much better than animal blood. But animal blood sustains us. I feel much better at the end of the day knowing that I prevented any mortals from any possible death."

"So you must've felt really good when you saved me."

He smiled sweetly at her. "Yes…I saved a young girl with a promising and bright future." He said with a hint of sadness. She wondered what he was thinking.

"Yeah, and you're in it." She said resolutely, taking a forkful of vegetable logmein.

His eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?"

She shrugged, hoping to seem casual as she twirled her fork in the logmein. "You are way too important to just disappear again. We're friends, right? Friends don't leave each other." She ate the forkful of logmein and chewed it silently, watching him.

"I'm your guardian." He said in a low voice.

"Is that what you consider yourself? Yeah, you're like a guardian angel to me, but you're also…you're more than a friend…I don't know what exactly…but you mean a lot to me. So you can't run off." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then decided against it. "I'm not _that_ bad…" She joked, her heart beating uncontrollably fast. Would he be able to hear it? Was he able to tell that she almost bared her soul to him?

Giving her free hand a squeeze, he stared into her eyes and stated seriously, "You are the brightest aspect of my life…or afterlife I should say." He smiled at her.

She let out a silent breath of relief before grinning at him. "Thanks." Was all she could say…and she thought it was all that was needed to be said.

* * *

Kenshin stayed in her room and watched her as she settled in her bed. She felt a little self conscious wearing her worn pajamas that had faded rainbow polka dots on them, but they were the perfect pajamas to wear whenever she was distressed.

"What do you do at night? Can you sleep?" She asked.

"Not at night…we are physically incapable. We can only sleep during the day. I usually sleep right after classes and wake up immediately after the sun sets." He answered, turning his gaze from the quarter moon outside her window.

"Oh…I feel bad." She almost considered staying up with him so he wouldn't be lonely.

Kenshin caught onto her train of thought and said quickly, "No, you are getting sleep. You need all the energy you can get. We still have to go to half our classes tomorrow. Although I have to admit, I'm not thrilled. Repeating high school for the twenty-third time is not very…invigorating."

She looked down at her lap where her hands laid. Looking at the wrist of her left hand, she took a finger and stroked the inside of her wrist once, realizing for the first time how delicate the skin was.

"What are you thinking of?" He asked, watching her finger on her wrist.

She quickly removed her finger and felt her cheeks turn warm. "How vulnerable humans are."

He nodded. "Yes…very vulnerable…delicate…"

She bit her lip. "You take blood at the neck? Like in the movies?"

"Yes…it's also possible to take from the wrist."

"I hope you don't feel guilty about it."

He looked at her perplexedly. "Guilty about what?"

"You don't have a choice in your diet. You need to have human blood. As long as murder isn't involved…is shouldn't be blamed upon you."

"I actually didn't have any human blood tonight. Well, not directly." He admitted.

"What? I thought the point of you going with Aoshi and Misao –" She started before he stopped her.

"They did try and convince me…but they know that I haven't had any in a very long time. I drank from Misao, much to Aoshi's disdain."

Kaoru made sure her face didn't portray any emotion, but she couldn't deny that she felt almost hurt that he refused her, but not Misao. Even though she knew Kenshin did not love Misao, it still bothered her.

"I hope it was enough for you." She said honestly.

His eyes betrayed his real emotions – he hoped so as well.

Pulling the covers off her, she climbed out of her bed to where her drawers were. The top drawer held all her candles, which she searched through until she found a single black candle, sticking out from the rainbow variety.

"We should light this for Nyoko. In memoriam." She said, grabbing the silver candle holder and sticking the black candle in it. The light was flicked off by Kaoru as she watched the room be consumed by darkness.

"I've never done this before." He said, watching her light the candle with a match.

"Just sit on the floor with me…on the other side of the candle." She instructed. Placing the candle on the floor, she sat down cross-legged and took deep breaths, and Kenshin did the same, watching her.

"What now?" He whispered as the candle light casting shadows on his painfully handsome face. His eyes glowed with the flicking of the flame.

She soundlessly grabbed his gloved hands and held them tightly. "We think of Nyoko and pray for her soul…may she make safe passage to wherever we go after death." She said with closed eyes.

Peaking under her eyelids, she saw Kenshin look like a stone angel as his eyes were closed. She was captured by his presence and was unable to focus on her meditation, no matter how horrible she felt by this fact.

His eyes suddenly opened, staring into her sapphire eyes. Curiosity was in his eyes along with a pallet of different emotions that she couldn't name. There were a few that she was certain of – distress for losing Nyoko, and…

Her teeth grazed her bottom lip, unsure. She hadn't dealt with another boy's emotions since eighth grade. But this was different, so much different.

She screwed her eyes shut. "Nyoko…Nyoko…" She muttered to herself, trying to focus. Tears spilled from her eyes in absolute guilt and sadness. This candle was supposed to be burned with the thoughts of the loved one who had perished. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about Kenshin and how much she…

A choking sound was heard in the room. It took her a few seconds for her to realize she was trying to hold back her sobs. Before she knew it, Kenshin was sitting beside her, holding her in his arms.

They had come to the point where words were not needed. She silently rested her head on his shoulder, finally able to properly mourn for Nyoko. Having Kenshin next to her was all she needed to appropriately grieve. After all, they were all trying to protect each other at that moment.

She didn't know when she fell asleep in his arms; all that she remembered was the candle getting dimmer until all she saw nothing but darkness. A strong hand shook her awake gently. She quickly realized she was tucked in her bed before she had even opened her eyes. Creaking an eye open, she saw Kenshin's face above her, an angel looking down. The morning sun rays were making his bright red hair shine and his skin seem translucent. He never looked more beautiful.

"You look pretty in the morning." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She froze when she realized she had said the statement out loud.

"Do I? Well thank you." He said with a slightly chuckle. She groaned, pulling the cover over her face. He laughed openly before pulling the blanket away from her face. The smile on his face was nothing like she had ever seen.

"Someone's happy this morning." She grumbled, slowly getting out of bed.

"Hm, yes. Though it's not very appropriate during such a time."

"This is what she wanted. Your happiness." She reminded him, standing on her toes as she stretched.

"You know, you're pretty in the morning, too."

"Now you're just making fun of me." She stated, reaching her arms out to the ceiling.

"No, I'm being very honest. The way you wake up is like watching a flower unfurl its pedals. Very pretty."

She stopped stretching and stared at him with wide eyes. He stared at her with clear eyes, waiting patiently for her response.

"That's…well…thank you. One of the nicest…and oddest compliments I've ever received." She said, looking down at the ground, forcing herself not to blush.

"Your parents will be here in about an hour. Riko will drive you to the school."

"What about you?" She asked, pulling out a school uniform she kept in her closet.

A smile grew on his lips. "What a scandal that would be – the two of us coming back together after a weekend?"

She blushed. "Oh, right. How are you getting to the school?"

"I'm taking a car. It is coming in an hour and a half." He looked out the window, his face completely bathed in the golden light. "November first." He stated.

"Yeah…I'll be back for Thanksgiving in a few weeks." She broke into a smile. "Hopefully before then you will be human and you can have your first Thanksgiving here! Wouldn't that be great?"

He nodded, trying to suppress a grin. "I'd like that."

The rest of the morning was spent in a comfortable silence. After Kaoru had changed, she had eaten breakfast made by Kenshin. This time, he made scrambled eggs – the best she had ever had.

"You should be a chef." She stated when rinsed off her plate.

He smiled. "Quite ironic, isn't it?"

"A little."

"Cooking is very therapeutic. Since doing laundry by hand is considered odd today, cooking became a replacement for me."

She looked at him with an amused expression. "You did _laundry?_"

If he was able to blush, she was sure he would've. "Yes…hand-washed all of my clothing."

She smiled to herself. "I see…" She held back her laughter.

After twenty minutes, her parents burst through the door. Kaoru was soon in Riko's tight embrace, to which she equally reciprocated. "You are okay?" She whispered, her eyes darting from every corner of the house.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just want to get to school." Kaoru said calmly.

"Thank you, Kenshin, for watching my daughter." Hiraku said.

Kenshin smiled. "Of course. She will always be protected, rest easy."

"Are you going to drive, Riko?" Hiraku asked.

"Yes, yes. First I must calm myself…some incense will be good…" Riko muttered before going up the stairs.

"Do you need a ride?" Hiraku asked Kenshin.

"No, I have a car coming, but thank you for the offer."

Kaoru smiled when she saw the corner of Hiraku's mouth twitch upward.

The car ride with Riko consisted of her asking Kaoru what happened while she was gone. Kaoru edited the story as much as she could – only saying that Enishi stopped by the house, but didn't do anything. She didn't mention Nyoko's death, because she was sure Riko would lose her head over the fact that their property was forever soiled.

When they reached the school, Riko came in with Kaoru and signed her in. Mr. Kashiwazaki smiled at her kindly and welcomed her back, but he looked tired, as if he didn't get enough sleep.

Riko kissed Kaoru on the cheek before leaving the office the same time as Kenshin entered, who stared at Mr. Kashiwazaki with confusion. "What happened?" He asked.

The elder man sighed and rubbed his face. "There was an accident last night." He murmured.

"What kind of accident?" Kaoru asked warily.

"A student was attacked…that's all the public knows though."

"What kind of attack?" Kenshin inquired in a low voice.

Kaoru gasped. "No."

"She lost a lot of blood. I'm pretty sure it was Enishi." Kashiwazaki stated, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Who was it?" Kenshin asked, although it seemed to Kaoru that he already knew who it was, but needed to hear it out loud.

Mr. Kashiwazaki sighed and looked to Kaoru with a sad expression. "Miss Megumi Takani."

* * *

A/N: Er…sorry? Actually, I'm not feeling too sorry (I don't mean to be mean!) because I'm on such a high for being a nominee :)

Please review!

MissGoalie


	11. Chapter Eleven

A/N: I'm so sorry about this late update! Things have been so crazy with school, my pulled muscle preventing me from competing in meets, getting my license, searching for a car…it's driving me up the wall! (except the driving-related aspects – I'm beyond excited to get a car)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Before she knew it, her legs had collapsed from under her and she was on the floor, staring blankly in front of her. "Megumi?" She said inaudibly.

"She's in critical condition…we can only hope for the best." Kashiwazaki murmured sympathetically.

Kaoru screwed her eyes shut. There was no possible way that her best friend for so many years was on a razor's edge of life and death. She heard Kenshin step forward from above her.

"What is Enishi doing?" He asked.

Kashiwazaki gave an angry sigh. "He's here. There isn't any…proof that any of the students did it. A freshman girl found her near the woods and called for help. Enishi is playing the part of a devastated boyfriend."

"I'm going to _murder_ him." Kaoru growled, standing up and stomping toward the door. However, she ran into Kenshin's chest before she walked three steps forward. She felt tears spring to her eyes unwillingly as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"She'll be okay…just a few blood transfusions and she'll be fine." Kenshin murmured in her ear. His voice suddenly became hard as he directed his question to Kashiwazaki. "Has Hiko talked to him?"

"He hasn't had any time – he's trying to pacify the Elders at the House of Mezaris."

"Shit." Kenshin said softly under his breath.

"Well, there's nothing you can do right now except go to classes. We don't need to add you two to the rumors."

Kaoru pulled away from Kenshin and wiped her eyes quickly. "So I'm supposed to act completely normal around him?" She asked angrily.

"Yes, you must." Kashiwazaki said in a sharp tone. "Kenshin and everyone here are in a lot of trouble, the last thing we need is your emotions to get in the way of your mind. You must keep control today."

Kaoru sniffled and took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll do it for now." She replied icily.

Kashiwazaki squeezed her shoulder in thanks before leading the two of them to the hallway. "It's almost the end of period three. I would go straight to your period four class."

They said their farewells to the professor as they walked down the hallway. When they were out of earshot, Kaoru muttered, "Fuck English," under her breath.

Kenshin chuckled under his breath and linked arms with her. "Yes, an appropriate comment."

"I need to go to my dorm room for my backpack." She mentioned to him as they walked across the courtyard to the girl's dormitories.

"I'm going to go to mine. I'll meet you in yours in a minute." He replied before running off in a blur.

She shook her head in shock as she reached the main door to the dormitory. Taking out her key, she unlocked the door and quickly walked up two flights of stairs to her level. When she reached her room, she was surprised to find Kenshin sitting on the edge of her bed.

"You took forever." He said in a joking voice.

"Stupid vampires." She muttered, grabbing her messenger bag and taking out three notebooks. She looked over to Megumi's bed in sadness. "If she doesn't get out of the hospital alive, I will kill him." She stated resolutely.

"I will not let you stain your hands with his dirty blood." He said to her.

She sighed. "Maybe we could send him to Antarctica." She offered.

He suddenly laughed out loud. "Yes, that would be fitting. No vampire house there, right Kaoru?"

"Oh, screw you!" She exclaimed, swinging her bag over her shoulder. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment.

He continued to laugh. "I'm sorry, that was just too funny. I'll never let you live it down."

"Great, just great." She walked out of her dorm room and shut the door behind her.

"Now that wasn't very nice." Kenshin said next to her, scaring her half to death.

"Agh! I hate you!" She cried out, but was laughing all the same.

"We really shouldn't be laughing." He said honestly.

Her smile faded from her face as she nodded. "You're right. _God,_ I'm the worst friend! No, I'm the worst _person _ever! Whenever I should be upset, I end up laughing with you…or thinking about you. It's not right!" She ranted as they left the girls' dormitory.

Kenshin was quiet for a moment. "You are not a bad person. I just want you to keep your mind off it…it's my fault."

She sighed loudly as they walked across the courtyard again. "Stop blaming yourself for everything! Let others take the blame! I can handle the burdens too."

They didn't say another word as they walked to the English classroom together. When the bell rang, everyone in their grade sent looks of sympathy to Kaoru, knowing that Megumi and she were best friends.

"You're going to have to prevent me from tackling him." Kaoru warned Kenshin when they were a few feet away from the door.

"Trust me, your speed is nothing compared to mine." He said as he opened the door for her.

She walked into the classroom, her classmates suddenly quieting to hush as they watched her calmly get to her seat. Sitting down in her uncomfortable wooden chair, she allowed herself to gaze around the room. Finding the painfully familiar silver hair, she balled her hands into fists on her lap. She couldn't believe that Enishi could get away with so many things…

An adult came into the classroom that was clearly not Professor Seijuro. This man was very short, graying, and had a toothbrush mustache. "Professor Seijuro is not in today and I will be your substitute."

Everyone broke out into whispers. Professor Seijuro was the last person to miss school – he was always _exactly_ on time. The class immediately assumed that something was wrong.

"Maybe he knows something about Takani." Kaoru heard a boy whisper behind her.

His comment was a little too close to the mark for comfort.

She looked to where Enishi was and their eyes connected. Giving him the ugliest look she could, she squeezed her closed fists even tighter, trying to prevent herself from running across the classroom and attacking him.

He merely smirked at her.

Her eyes shifted to Kenshin, who was giving her a warning stare. He then looked up to Enishi and shot him a nasty glare of his own.

Professor Seijuro left the class to read three short stories and to answer five free response questions for each one – all to be handed in at the end of the period. This prevented any talking and thinking beyond the assignment. Kaoru supposed that was what he was aiming for with the assignment – to make sure that nobody will think any deeper into the situation.

At the end of the period, Kaoru's hand was cramped when she handed in her sheets to the substitute. She wasn't in school for more than an hour and already she was exhausted.

Enishi passed her to get out of the classroom, throwing another smirk at her. However, she managed to kick him in the calf while the class was shuffling out. He turned around and glared at her while she smiled innocently at him. An arm laced hers, which she recognized to be Kenshin's.

"Please do not provoke him, as satisfying as it is." He whispered in her ear.

"It was one act of physical abuse…can I please just punch him in the gut or something?" She begged quietly.

He chuckled. "No. My, my, Kaoru, you have some anger issues!"

He smoothly avoided a shove from her.

For the rest of the day Kaoru tried not to think about Megumi lying in a hospital bed. The thought of seeing her best friend hooked up to IVs lying on a white bed that matched her ghostly face made her want to burst out crying. She didn't want to involve Megumi…she was the one person she fought to protect.

Kaoru had the feeling that Kenshin understood that as well, which was why he was holding her a bit tighter in between classes.

Although he was only doing it for her own protection, she couldn't help but blush every time. There couldn't be such feelings – it would only destroy them.

At the end of the day, she returned to her room with a heavy heart, knowing she would have to be alone the rest of the evening.

However, after dinner Kenshin came to her room with a relieved smile on his face.

"She's going to be okay. The transfusions were a success and now all she has to do is rest."

Kaoru exhaled a shaky breath as tears stung her eyes. "Thank you." She felt the other end of the bed shift and opened her eyes to find him sitting there.

"Despite their obvious fragility…humans are quite resilient."

"We do have the drive to live."

He smiled sadly. "Yes, you do. It's a wonderful thing. Many humans take their lives lightly."

"I think it applies to vampires too." She responded, staring directly at him.

"My life…or whatever this is called…is worth nothing compared to yours." He said softly.

"In my books, every life is equal. Besides, a lot of people would miss you if you died." She responded defiantly.

"They would get by. After all, death goes hand in hand with life." He added wisely.

"Sure, Aoshi, Misao, and Seijuro would understand that, but what about me?" He froze and slowly turned his head to completely face her. "I've already lost two people that I love." She whispered before looking down at her blue comforter and lightly biting her bottom lip.

His gently held her marked hands in his gloved ones and sighed. "I am not going anywhere. I already promised that I would protect you…and my death would not necessarily protect you."

"You're right, it _won't_ protect me."

"But if I must sacrifice myself for you…" He started before she squeezed his hands tightly.

"_No_. That's not going to happen. We're going to run Enishi out of here, get you human, and then…maybe…we'll…" She trailed off in embarrassment.

He brought her hands to where his heart was, closed his eyes and sighed deeply. She couldn't feel a heartbeat at all. "I would love to continue planning that future…but we mustn't allow ourselves."

She sighed sadly and nodded in agreement, but they did not stop holding each other's hands.

* * *

Kaoru was having the most vivid dream. She was lying on her bed, feeling as if she was having an out-of-body experience. She felt a gentle pressure over her chest and the breath of another on her face. Immediately dreaming it was Kenshin, she parted her lips ever so slightly. After a few moments, cold lips pressed gently on hers. She breathed deeply, feeling at peace. When the kiss ended, Kaoru opened her eyes, wanting to clear the brilliant fantasy from her mind. To her surprise, she found herself staring into amber eyes.

"Kenshin." She whispered inaudibly.

They stared at each other for a minute the tension between them almost stifling. She raised a heavy arm to where her amulet was, bringing the clasp from the back of her neck to her chest. When she unclasped it, she placed it on her nightstand and looked back at him.

He gingerly placed his lips on hers once more, this time using a cold hand to stroke her face. Kaoru noted dimly that he wasn't wearing gloves as he probed her lips with his tongue. She opened her mouth shyly, allowing him to plunder it, tasting her assorted emotions on her breath and feeling the contours inside. He pulled away at the moment she needed air. She opened her eyes and stared at him, breathing heavily.

"I'm…" He started, his voice hoarse. She could see large specs of violet in his eyes. He was about to pull away when she grabbed the front of his jacket and forced him to look at her.

"What? You can't just leave after _that_." She whispered.

He openly looked at her visible neck, watching her blood flow in her veins for a few moments before looking down guiltily. "I just wanted to protect you." He whispered.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You have…you are."

"But _this_ is not protecting you! This is putting you in more danger! _Shisho_ was right, I am an extremely selfish person."

"No! You're not selfish. I want this too. _I want this too._" She retorted defiantly before wrapping one arm on his back while placing the other at the back of his neck, pulling him down on top of her. This time she opened her mouth as soon as their lips touched again, enjoying the intimate contact. She touched one of his canine teeth with her tongue, immediately tasting her own blood.

"We can't." He said suddenly, pulling away again and not looking at her.

Kaoru licked her lips before looking down at where their bodies were separated by her blanket. "Does it hurt?" She asked softly.

"_No!_ I will not do this! Kaoru, you don't understand the consequences. The loss of blood could…"

"I do understand. I'm not ignorant. I know I'll be dizzy for a few days and maybe a bit more out of breath when I walk up to the third floor. But…if human blood makes you stronger and you're going to be fighting Enishi in the future…I want to do it. It'll put me under protection from the House of Mezaris as well – you can have a donor, right?"

"You're too good to be one."

"Just once, then."

He screwed his eyes shut in pain. "Kaoru." He moaned.

She ran her hand through the hair on the back of his head, removed his hair tie to fully comb through his hair. "You need to give me your shampoo or whatever you use." She murmured with a smile as she gently pushed his head into the crook of her neck.

"No, I can't. I'll hate myself even more." He said against her skin.

"Stop being stubborn." She said breathlessly.

For a split second she felt pain, but was quickly replaced with pure bliss and pleasure.

Several things immediately came to her mind.

First she saw a hazy scene – with figures she immediately recognized to belong to her biological parents. They were lying on a blanket with her in between, playing with her as she giggled. She was four-years-old. The next memory that flashed into her mind was clearer, involving the orphanage in which she stayed in until Riko and Hiraku came and adopted her. It was very bleak and sad.

The memories soon began shift into unfamiliar ones.

She surprisingly saw herself at five-years-old. The all-too familiar amulet was being placed in her small hand as she gazed up at her savior with confused and scared eyes.

The memory flashed to a new one involved a beautiful girl with black hair, who was laughing with someone who wore a wide brim hat that hid his face. She was leading him to her house at night.

After another flash, the black haired girl was pleading, tears pouring from her face. The words were muffled and Kaoru couldn't make them out. A second later, a silver sword, which she recognized, come and stab her through the chest. The black haired girl's face was filled with horror and pain for a brief second before being replaced with a weak smile. Kaoru was able to make out her final word: thank you.

The last flash of memory involved a short boy with long, red hair talking to a man behind a wooden table. He was trying to convince the older man something, and then he smiled triumphantly when the older man sighed and wrote something down on the parchment in front of him:

Kenshin Himura - soldier.

After that, she blacked out and saw nothing more.

* * *

She was woken up by Kenshin shaking her shoulder gently but firmly.

"M'jus'a'few'mo'mints…" She grumbled half-asleep.

"No, no, Kaoru, you have to get up." He said quietly, lifting her upper body so she was sitting up.

"Why?"

"Because you're in school, first period is going to start in ten minutes, and you have Physics first period."

She opened her eyes and mumbled a curse before ripping the covers off herself and shakily getting to her feet. He was holding her hands, preventing her from falling.

"Wow…didn't Megumi get freaked out by this?" She wondered out loud as she went to her dresser and took out the uniform skirt, shirt, and blazer.

"He didn't…take as much from her at a time." He said sheepishly.

"Hey, I wanted you to do it." She said warmly, turning to face him and smiling at her.

He smiled at her before turning around and facing his back toward her. "Change quickly."

She changed into her school uniform as fast as she could without making herself too dizzy. However, on the way to class, she still relied heavily on Kenshin's support.

Her amulet was around her neck when she woke up – he must've put it around her neck after _it_.

She squeezed his arm a little tighter as they slowly walked up the stairs. By the top of the second flight she was breathless and exhausted.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Kenshin whispered to her, pulling her waist closer to his.

"Stop apologizing." She retorted the best she could in between her pants.

"Never again." He muttered.

"Well, that was enough, right? You do feel stronger, right?"

"Yes, more than I have in a long time." He reluctantly admitted.

"Good."

They didn't say another word as they walked into Physics right before the bell rang. She took her usual seat in the back, her heart aching for a moment when she stared at Megumi's empty desk.

She tried her hardest to pay attention, but her lack of energy and will surprised her as she nodded off a number of times. Kenshin kept sending worried glances toward her, to which she responded with dismissing eyes, trying to tell him that she would be fine.

However, in the middle of the period, Enishi had caught on to their eye contact conversation. Enishi craned his head to look at Kaoru. His face first portrayed confusion, but his expression quickly turned malicious as he grinned at her. She couldn't help but blush – it was almost as if he found out the two had sex, which in her opinion, was just as sacred as what Kenshin and her shared last night.

It was the ultimate act of complete trust.

Thankfully, it was quickly the end of the period and she had two periods to not worry about Enishi. However, before the beginning of English, Kaoru decided to go to the hospital wing – she felt as if she was going to pass out. All she wanted to do was sleep.

Kenshin gave her another look of remorse before removing his arm from her waist and going to English class. She sighed as she walked down the corridor to the wing, hoping that Ms. Miyagi wouldn't fuss too much over her.

When she entered Ms. Miyagi's office, she was reading a newspaper behind her desk. As she put down the newspaper, she gasped when she saw Kaoru.

"You're as white as a ghost! My God, are you alright dear? You have to lie down – just follow me to the beds." Ms. Miyagi rambled as she grabbed Kaoru by the elbow and lead her to the neat rows of beds. "Are you ill?" She finally asked as Kaoru sat down.

"I…didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I kept thinking about Megumi and…"

"Oh, of course, it is very devastating." Ms. Miyagi said soothingly. "Have you eaten?"

"No, not really." Kaoru answered truthfully. The day before she ate very little of lunch and dinner – she was too busy worrying and Megumi and was talking to Kenshin.

"Well you need to sleep, and then afterwards you're eating. So sleep now." Ms. Miyagi said sternly as she pulled the curtains around her bed to hide her.

Kaoru sighed and laid her head back against the pillow. She fell fast asleep seconds after, but was woken almost an hour later by loud, echoing footsteps. Groggily she wiped her eyes as she heard Ms. Miyagi's hissing.

"She is _sleeping!_ Professor I _mustn't –_"

The curtains were pulled back to reveal Professor Seijuro with Ms. Miyagi glaring at him from behind.

"I need a word with Miss Kamiya." Seijuro said in a tone that was not meant to be questioned.

Ms. Miyagi wisely huffed away to her office, which was known when a door slammed shut.

Kaoru felt very uncomfortable under Seijuro's intense gaze, which lasted for a few seconds. He then sighed in a resigned way. "I knew it. There was a reason why he never looked at me."

"Who?" Kaoru asked groggily.

"Kenshin. I never would've thought he'd…and I never thought _you_ would…whatever. What's done is done. I was hoping he would get blood from an unknown donor instead of you, but I can't control that idiot." He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Kaoru looked down at her lap embarrassed. She really didn't like the fact that everyone was finding about what happened the night before. "Are you okay?" He asked in a kinder tone.

"Yeah…just tired."

He nodded knowingly. "By tomorrow or the day after you'll be fine. We'll just have to keep a closer eye on you." Her brain was functioning at a very slow pace. She couldn't seem to completely wake up, which Seijuro noticed. "Since you're weaker than normal. Enishi already knows so he might take advantage. Who knows what's going through that freak's mind."

She weakly smiled. "Yeah, very unpredictable."

They were enveloped in a slightly awkward silence for a few moments before he said, "I have another class…but…thank you for being generous."

It took her a few seconds to figure out the meaning behind his words. She nodded as her eyes began to droop. Lying back down on the bed, she barely heard the curtain shut as she drifted back to sleep.

The last time she was woken up was after classes. She was already on the verge of waking up when she heard the curtains open slowly. Sensing a very hostile presence, she opened her eyes quickly to see Enishi looking down at her with a predatory smirk on his face.

"You wouldn't." She said breathlessly.

He snorted. "I could, but it would be very messy and cause a mass panic."

"You already caused a mass panic with Megumi – why the hell did you do that?" Kaoru hissed, sitting up quickly.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I needed to feed. And I'll admit, I was rather pissed that I didn't get to kill anyone that Halloween."

"Well you didn't kill Megumi." She responded with a smug tone.

"No…but she should've." He said with a scowl, but with a little confusion as well that went unnoticed by Kaoru.

"What are you doing here?" She asked finally.

"Just to give you a little warning."

"Of…?"

He sat down at the edge of her bed, causing her to scoot as far back as she could with her knees under her chin. "Megumi's life is in the balance already."

"She's going to be okay." Kaoru retorted hotly.

"That doesn't mean she's strong. She's so _weak_. I could easily sneak into that hospital and –"

"Don't you _dare_ go near here again!"

"I won't, I won't…if you'll just meet with me in ten days."

"Wait…what?" Kaoru stuttered, suddenly very confused.

"In ten days, we're going to meet in secret. I'll give you more information later…but I think it's unnecessary to say that telling Himura or any of his allies is out of the question, yes?"

"You're going to kill me." She stated.

He shrugged. "Well, yes, unless you can somehow fight back, which, let's be honest here, is not possible." She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it was just a horrible nightmare. He seemed to have guessed her thoughts for he chuckled cruelly. "This is waking life, dear Kaoru, and the monster is real."

She couldn't help but shudder – his eyes were more frightening than any other monster that had lurked in her dreams. "How are you going to know what I tell Kenshin? I think he'd know if he was being stalked – so you can't know what I do or don't tell him."

He smirked. "Vampires have an interesting way of reading each other. Well, I'll let you get back to your sleep." He said with an evil smile as he shut the curtains, leaving Kaoru alone.

* * *

A/N: Alright, I have no clue when chapter 12 will be posted – junior year is clearly a lot harder than sophomore year, so my once a week postings have to end until this coming summer, I'm afraid :(. But I'm trying my hardest to get these out to you as fast as I can, so please be patient – thanks!

Please review!

MissGoalie


	12. Chapter Twelve

A/N: I'm REALLY sorry about these late updates – school totally sucks. I'm afraid this will continue until the end, which will be in 3 chapters…maybe 2. Not quite sure yet.

Please excuse any errors – I've had barely any time to edit this.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Kaoru was strangely calm when Enishi left her bedside. She somehow knew that it was going to end this way. As she laid back down, she considered all her options. There was no way she could tell Kenshin…

But Enishi didn't forbid her to tell anyone else…

She heard footsteps from the other side of the curtain and sighed. It was probably Ms. Miyagi checking up on her for the fifth time or so. She figured that she was off by a few times since she felt that she fell into a deep sleep multiple times.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ms. Miyagi asked kindly as she pulled back the curtain slightly.

"Yeah, I feel better." Kaoru lied. Although she wasn't exhausted, Enishi's threat still festered in the back of her mind.

"Well someone is here to visit you." She said, pulling back the curtain completely to reveal Kenshin. "I'll leave you to it then." And she turned on her heel and walked back to her office.

"I'm surprised you didn't take advantage of your…abilities and sneak in." Kaoru said with a smile.

Kenshin smiled back. "Yes, well, I thought you would be asleep. But it seems you're much better, I'm glad."

"How are you?"

He gave a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

They fell into a comfortable silence. She prided herself on keeping a very pleasant exterior. However, she wasn't sure how she could keep up the façade as the days to her and Enishi's meeting waned.

"Is something troubling you?" He asked, sitting down at the edge of her bed, staring at her intently. She wished he wouldn't – his eyes were too keen and her will to keep silent couldn't last when his searching violet eyes were on her.

"No…well…" She pondered for a second. Would she tell him? Would she risk Megumi's life again? "I was just thinking about all the new stuff I missed today. I'll be so behind."

No, she couldn't.

His pale face held a blank expression for a few agonizing seconds. She felt her heart rate increase. Did he believe her lie? But then he gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, I took notes for you – as did Misao."

"Thanks." She exhaled. He nodded, subconsciously moving his finger over the face of his left hand, tracing two lines. "Today is the second of November…right?" He nodded in response.

November twelfth will be final battle. Was there anything significant about that date? She wasn't sure if there really was, or if she was reading too much into the day she was possibly going to die.

"You're hiding something." Kenshin finally stated, stopping his finger in the middle of his hand.

"What do you mean?" She said, her heart catching in her throat.

He sighed softly. "What's _really_ troubling you?"

She blanched. How was she possibly going to keep this from him for ten days when within the first he was already suspicious? "I'd…rather not say." He continued to search her eyes. "Please, Kenshin, let it go." She whispered, looking down at her sheets.

"Do you remember what I promised to you outside a few weeks ago?" He asked suddenly, breaking the tense silence.

She nodded, swallowing. "You'd protect me."

"That's right. I _will_ protect you." He said with assurance, and she couldn't help but believe him. "I've been around for the lifespan of two men, I am keener to knowing how people will respond to certain situations…and that includes the immortal." With that note, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Keep resting. Hopefully by tomorrow or the day after you'll be fine."

He got up from the bed and left her alone, the second time that same day.

* * *

At around four o'clock she left the wing to do a simple meditation. She was sitting in the middle of her dorm room with a candle lit in front of her, silently meditating, when there was a knock on the door. She exhaled deeply, blew out the candle, and stood up to get to the door. The person wasn't who she expected it to be: Misao.

"Hi, Kaoru." Misao said finally.

"Thanks for not sneaking up on me." Kaoru breathed out.

She gave a weak smile. "Both your door and the window were locked." The smile disappeared and she stared back at Kaoru seriously. "There's something that you should know."

The way she spoke frightened Kaoru. Misao was always one to be cheery. If Misao couldn't be happy, then how could anyone else?

"Maybe I should sit down…" Kaoru said, walking over to her bed and plopping down on the mattress. "Okay, I'm ready, what is it?" She asked concernedly.

Misao's dark green eyes bore into Kaoru's dark blue ones before saying calmly. "Megumi should've died that night. No question whatsoever."

Kaoru stared back at her. "But she's okay now."

"Yeah, she is…but she should really be six feet under right now."

Kaoru looked at Misao with a puzzled expression. "What…are you trying to say?"

"What I'm saying…is that Megumi is not alive because of the doctors or her will to live."

Kaoru was truly beginning to feel frightened. "What did you do?"

Misao paused, looked down at the ground, and played with her ruby ring on her left ring finger. "Aoshi and I were just coming back from the House of Mezaris…and there are a lot of vampires there…and demons. We got a call from Hiko about Megumi and…we started talking to one demon in particular…"

"No." Kaoru stated, shaking her head slowly in disbelief.

"It's not what you think!" Misao immediately said, her eyes widening. "She's not one of us…exactly."

"Misao! Just come out and say it right now!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Misao looked to the door, waiting until she thought everything was clear. "We brought the demon over and he just bit her for only a few seconds…just to get a little of the venom in her blood stream."

Kaoru's eyes were as wide as saucers. "She…oh…how…how can I live with myself now?" She whispered, bringing her face into her hands.

"Kaoru." Misao said sharply, instantly getting her attention. "None of this is your fault. Stop trying to put the blame on you. _It's not your fault_. It's that _prick_ Enishi, got it? You've got absolutely _nothing_ to do with her misfortune." Misao sighed and looked up to the ceiling before giving Kaoru an apologetic smile. "I completely understand your concern…she's your best friend…but you can't allow yourself to think that you're the bearer of calamity." She reached into her back for a moment. "Here," Misao handed Kaoru a velvet box about a foot long and a few inches wide that was slightly heavy, "Kenshin wouldn't want to know that you have this in your room…but I think it's better to be safe."

Kaoru opened the box and was shocked to see a silver dagger with a large diamond on the hilt. "This is…beautiful actually." She admitted, admiring how the light reflected off the smooth surface.

"Hide it somewhere…or keep it on you if you leave the grounds."

Kaoru nodded and put the box under her bed for the time being. "So…what will be different with Megumi?" She finally asked, bracing herself for the worst.

Misao pondered thoughtfully. "I suppose her eyesight would improve…which is quite a good advantage if she does want to be in the medical field. Maybe she might have increased speed and strength. I don't know about her appetite…maybe she'll hate dry food? Or maybe she'll have a particular liking for rare meat…we'll find out soon enough."

"If she has any taste for blood I swear I'll –"

"You will do _nothing_ to yourself." Misao said very sternly. "No inflicting pain – the last thing Kenshin would want is for you to hurt yourself. He'll somehow find a way to blame himself. You two seem to have that in common." She added arbitrarily.

Kaoru said nothing except touched her neck where Kenshin had bit her. Misao followed her fingers and frowned. "I wish this had never happened." She whispered, bringing her hand down to her lap.

Misao put an arm around her shoulders. "There is no use to mope about we cannot change. We must face the present as it is and prepare for the future as it will come."

Kaoru's mouth twitched into a small smile. "Who'd have thought that you could be serious and spout out decent pieces of wisdom?"

Misao snorted in a rather unfeminine way and removed her arm from Kaoru's shoulders. "Aoshi didn't marry a fool."

"No, he didn't." They were enveloped in a comforting silence for a few moments. "I think Kenshin knows something…or at least has some idea something bad is going to happen."

"Well, even though he is a relatively young one, he's still aware of everyone…more so here since he's sworn to protect you." Misao squeezed her arm comfortingly. "Nobody can threaten you with us here."

Too bad she didn't know it had already happened, Kaoru thought sadly as she watched Misao leave her room, leaving her with more worries on her mind than she had before.

* * *

For the next two days she was constantly trying to avoid Enishi and his evil smirks while trying to convince Kenshin that nothing was wrong. Since she was feeling much stronger, she couldn't bear to use the excuse that she was still feeling weak from sharing her blood with him. Using homework as an excuse for her constantly stressed-out appearance, she hid behind her textbooks and did homework that was due days in advance.

"I figured it out." Kenshin said from behind her. She was in the library, working in solitude in a back table, hidden behind a bookshelf. She picked that table hoping that he wouldn't find her with once glance around the library.

Kaoru dropped her pencil in worry. "Figured what out?"

"It's about Megumi. You're worried about her…which I think is part of your troubles." He said finally, taking the seat across from her.

She released a small puff of air. Yes, she was very worried about Megumi, so his conclusion wasn't completely off the mark. In fact, it was very close given that she was the blackmail for Enishi's threat. "Yeah…I really want to see her, actually." She admitted.

"Which has been arranged." He said with a growing smile.

Her eyes widened. "Really?" She whispered excitedly, happier than she had been for the past three days.

He nodded before she broke into silent squeals. She got up from her chair and threw her arms around her neck and thanked him incessantly in his ear. "You have _no_ idea how much I want this."

He snaked his arms around her, bringing her closer. "This will all end soon, I promise by the end of this year, all will be good. May it take five months, or a week, it will end well."

She froze. It was just a coincidence that he said one week. After all, wasn't that normally said? But Kenshin was anything but normal, which worried her. "When can I see her?"

"After school. Aoshi will be escorting you."

Kaoru was a little taken aback. Out of all the vampires at the school, she was least familiar with him. "Okay. Thanks so much." The bell rang, interrupting her. "I have history…I'll see you later."

When she was about to grab her bag, Kenshin whipped out his hand and held her wrist gently. She looked back at him and waited. "I do hope that when this is over…we can be happy." He said softly.

She gave him a watery smile, hoping she could hold back her tears until she got out of the library. "Yeah, me too." She couldn't help but dream of a time when the two of them could be together with no barrier between them.

But she only had one more week to dream.

When she walked out of her last period class, Aoshi was already waiting for her. They didn't say a word to each other as they walked to the headmaster's office, where he was waiting outside.

"Ah, Kaoru, Aoshi," Mr. Kashiwazaki greeted, nodding at them both, "Miss Takani is staying at St. Mary's Hospital about fifteen minutes away." He said while looking Aoshi in the eye. "This is good timing since her family had just left. When they come back, you must leave."

Aoshi nodded at Kashiwazaki and strode toward the door. Kaoru had to speed walk to keep up with him. "The Takani family left the hospital just to refresh themselves, but they'll be back. However, they don't want visitors. We've…Kenshin, really…charmed the secretary into letting you have a visiting hour."

She would rather not think about Kenshin flirting with anyone. Not only did it evoke some feelings of jealousy, but the vision also seemed very unrealistic – he was hardly the person to flirt with any girl he sees.

"Yes, it is a rather odd thing to imagine." Aoshi said as he led her to the small teacher's parking lot that was outside the school grounds. There were only a few cars in the lot, mostly silver, navy, and white modest cars. However, he led her to a sleek, black Ferrari that made every car around it look like it came from a junkyard.

"Wow…" Kaoru mustered to say.

He gave her a rare smile. "There are some benefits from being a vampire – you save a lot of money by not having certain necessities."

"I can't believe I'm about to be driven in a Ferrari." She said in a weak voice as he unlocked the door. She gingerly opened it and slid into the black leather interior. "I can't believe I'm in a Ferrari."

"I do hope you won't be saying that throughout the ride."

She promptly closed her mouth, silently enjoying the smooth ride over to the hospital.

Kaoru nearly strangled the woman behind the desk, since she was slowly making her way through paperwork and thoroughly ignoring them.

Aoshi seemed to be feeling impatient as well for her cleared his throat rather loudly. Kaoru in response slammed her elbows onto the table and gave the woman behind the desk a fake smile.

"We're here to see Megumi Takani." Aoshi stated, staring down the woman.

"O-Of course." She stuttered, turning red and she typed quickly onto the computer, suddenly finding a reason to hurry. Kaoru wondered if it was Aoshi's devastating good looks that changed her speed or if it was the glare he was giving her. She supposed it was a bit of both. "She's on the fourth floor, room 422."

Aoshi immediately headed toward the elevator without another word. Kaoru quickly thanked the woman before rushing into the elevator.

"I swear mortals get more infuriating with each generation." Aoshi muttered under his breath.

She wisely decided not to comment on the fact that she was of the most recent generation. Thankfully, the ride up was quick, ending the uncomfortable situation – she didn't enjoy being in such a closed confinement with him.

When they got to Megumi's room, Kaoru looked to Aoshi, curious as to what he was going to do. "I'll be outside. When I hear her family come, we'll leave." He explained, noting her expression.

She nodded. "Thanks." She said before opening the door slowly, revealing a completely white room, which was to be expected. The bed where Megumi laid peacefully was to her left where she was hooked up to an IV. The machine by the bed beeped at a steady rate.

Kaoru bit her bottom lip hard as she closed the door behind her and sat at the edge of Megumi's bed. She stared at Megumi's white face with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." She whispered. Suddenly, Megumi's eyes sprung open, temporarily frightening Kaoru. "How horror film can you possibly get, Megumi." She breathed, a hand clutching her chest. She suddenly realized that Megumi was _awake_ after lying in a hospital for over three days. "Megumi! You're alive! You're up! I'm…so glad…" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"I thought you were my mom…I hoped that she would _finally_ leave and get some sleep." Megumi said with a hoarse voice. Her cinnamon eyes then sparkled with tears. "Kaoru…I was such a bitch." Her voice was broken.

"Guys make girls act like bitches." Kaoru said soothingly, grabbing her friend's hand.

A tear leaked and rolled down her white face. "What happened to me, Kaoru?" Megumi asked quietly. "You've known there was something wrong with him, he did it, didn't he?" Kaoru's eyes widened in shock, to which Megumi gave a weak smile, "Shocked that I can correctly guess?"

Kaoru bit her bottom lip hard. "Megumi…I've never really told you what happened to me eleven years ago…with my real parents." She heard a faint knock on the wall, which reminded her that Aoshi was outside the room, hearing everything they were saying. She promptly ignored him, knowing that Megumi had the right to know everything.

"What does that have to do with now?"

Kaoru closed her eyes. "It has everything to do with now."

And she told Megumi everything. She started with the moment Kenshin had first saved her, who was the true giver of her amulet. As best she could, she explained the circles on the palms of her hands, and what they meant. Finally, she described Enishi's reasons for being at the school and what he wanted of Kenshin.

She also told her that Enishi wanted to meet her a week from that day.

Megumi hadn't said a word, merely widening her eyes at the appropriate moments. When Kaoru had finished, Megumi looked down at her sheets, trying to compose herself.

"This…isn't right…" Megumi murmured, furrowing her eyebrows, "but you wouldn't make this up." She put her face in her hands. "This goes against everything I ever learned in church."

"This goes against everything in nature." Kaoru corrected.

"True." Megumi mumbled.

Kaoru sighed. "Well, it'll all end in a week…one way or another."

"Okay, let's try and figure out a person that you can tell. Well you obviously can't tell Kenshin, he'll murder Enishi on the spot. Wait…maybe we _should_ tell him…"

"He won't murder him, Megumi…unless it's absolutely –"

Megumi stared down at Kaoru. "With what you've just told me, it seems he's ready to go out of his way and either kill or die for you, whichever will do the job of protecting you."

"I don't want him to add another life onto his conscience." Kaoru murmured.

Megumi narrowed her eyes in anger. "That horrid bastard deserves to _rot in hell_." She growled. Kaoru looked at Megumi in absolute shock. She had never heard her friend swear like that before. "Have you forgotten why I'm in here? I could've _died_, Kaoru. He almost killed Kenshin, he killed Nyoko, and he's going to kill you next. You can't have pity for such a monster."

Kaoru suddenly had a flash of when Nyoko was killed – remembering the feeling of having her warm blood splash onto her face. She remembered the first time Megumi came into their room with those bite marks.

She remembered the look on Kenshin's face when Nyoko was killed…when she herself was threatened.

"I'll tell Seijuro tomorrow." Kaoru said in a low voice.

Megumi nodded. "This has to end once and for all."

Kaoru nodded. "Yes…after over one-hundred years…it's coming to the final showdown."

The door suddenly opened, revealing Aoshi with a stern expression on his face. "We have to leave."

Kaoru bit her lip, realizing yet again that Aoshi heard everything she told Megumi, who gripped her hand tightly. "Hopefully by next week I'll be back."

Kaoru nodded and let herself be led by Aoshi with his hand on her back, pushing her out of the room. She refused to say anything as they walked down the empty corridor and into the elevator. Even when he pulled out of the parking lot, she refused to look at him.

"Humans are truly remarkable. I warned you that I was indeed outside the room, yet you went right ahead and revealed absolutely everything…including things I personally did not want to hear."

"I'd hoped you'd tune out." Kaoru mumbled.

"I could hardly tune out when you started speaking Enishi visiting you."

"Don't tell Kenshin." She stated flatly.

She noticed he gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Something must be done. It will be rather difficult keeping such a secret from him." He was silent for a minute. "I am the best person to know at this rate…I'll inform Hiko for you and we'll plan something behind Kenshin's back. It's the only opinion we have." Kaoru was in shock. She had never heard him speak so much in her life. He further added to her disbelief when he spoke again, "You must be more careful about what you say. You were rather fortunate that it was me who heard everything. The next time you might not be – it could be Enishi the next time."

She nodded, feeling very embarrassed. It was true that she had completely lost her guard, but she couldn't help it – seeing Megumi in such a confused and broken state made her want to comfort her and confide in her everything that had happened.

"It's alright – we've expected too much of you." He said quietly.

She didn't know what to make of that comment, and decided to enjoy the strange bond that the two of them had made.

* * *

The next day, Kaoru allowed herself to relax a little since someone other than herself knew of Enishi's plans. Although they showed no obvious knowledge, Aoshi subtly patted her arm comfortingly in a busy corridor once and on the bottom of an English assignment, Seijuro wrote, "We're taking care of it" underneath her grade.

She didn't feel so alone anymore.

Kenshin continued to be supportive in his own way. Although he didn't seem to know what was bothering her, he tried his best to comfort her.

They were sitting in her room and were quietly staring into each other's eyes. She was holding his hands gently, looking at the soft fabric of his gloves in curiosity. Why did he wear them? Why were they off that one night they shared? She pinched the hem of the glove and stared into his eyes – silently asking for permission.

He pursed his lips slightly and nodded. She slowly peeled the glove from his right hand, expecting the worst. But all that was revealed with smooth, ivory skin. She flipped his hand so his palm faced up, but there were no horrid burns or scars.

Her eyes shifted to his other hand, which back in his own lap. "This is what you're hiding." She said quietly, pulling back the fabric slowly. She winced at what she saw: a large 'X' that was engraved on the back of his hand, still open. "How did you get this?"

"Tomoe had that necklace on when I killed her…I took it from her after death and I got this as punishment." He murmured.

"Why did you take it from her?"

"Don't you remember what I said to Akemi and Masaru during the Halloween weekend? Naoko had given it to me to give it to a mortal girl who would need protection _until I came back._ I forgot about the last part. It took me a long time to realize this…to realize that Tomoe wasn't the one to have the amulet."

"It isn't a very nice scar…" She muttered, afraid to touch it.

"It's a reminder of my mistakes."

She sighed and let go of his hands. "Please, Kenshin, you have to let this go. Tomoe _wanted_ to die."

"As long as I have this curse of being immortal…I can never let it go." He said sadly.

"When are we doing it?"

"What?"

She sighed lightly with a smile. "Making you mortal! We should do it soon."

He pondered for a few moments. "Possibly before the holidays. Yes…that's a good time. Maybe I will be able to fully enjoy the delights of gingerbread cookies and stuffing…"

"I was thinking…maybe within the week." She whispered, looking down at her fingernails. She wanted to change him before meeting Enishi.

He shook his head. "There is something I must do this week…and I'll need my full strength for it."

She looked at him with slight suspicion. Was it possible that he knew?

But then he smiled, the room lifted from the serious talk they just shared. "Well, I best be off to my room. It's almost curfew." He lightly kissed her lips, and Kaoru responded by grabbing the collar of his shirt, keeping him closer.

He smiled on her lips and pulled away a few centimeters. "Maybe I'll be able to fully enjoy other aspects as well…"

She closed her eyes, savoring the closeness. She didn't know how much longer she had left to fully appreciate it.

* * *

A/N: So, new obsession everyone: Across the Universe! Best movie ever? Yeah, pretty much. Jude is just so cute – that accent makes my swoon every time. When he sings "I've Just Seen a Face" I just melt. I just wish the soundtrack had the part where Max sings "she loves you yeah, yeah, yeah" during "Love is All You Need Is Love" – it was perfect.

But enough ramblings about that. Again, I'll try my best to get these chapters out. Not only do I want to finish this story, but I really want to start my next one! It's gonna be another high school one - so be prepared for some teenage angst, musicians, preps, and the philosophies of _Harold and Maude_.

MissGoalie


	13. Chapter Thirteen

A/N: This chapter is going to be a bit short. In fact, this one and the last chapter (agh, yes, second to last chapter!) will be on the shorter side.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

The following week seemed to pass by very fast, yet very slow at the same time. In class, Kaoru felt as if time was moving so slowly. Yet she was always surprised when it was the end of the day, feeling as if the day had gone by in a blur.

A blur of Enishi's smirks, Kenshin's worried looks, and her own anxieties.

During this week she was also trying to memorize the symbols in the old book. Although it was rather difficult in the beginning, she soon knew most of the symbols cold by the end of the week.

The only thing she had to look forward to was that Megumi would be allowed to come back to school the day before she was supposed to meet Enishi. But only for the school day – she was supposed to go back to the hospital for more tests and wouldn't be back until late at night.

She found out the news when she was on the phone with Megumi, who changed the topic of conversation into a more serious one when she said, "_I have a Swiss army knife in my nightstand. Take it._"

Kaoru was silent, playing with the hem of her uniform skirt. "I won't need it."

"_I_ _want you to take it – you'll never know._"

"Okay, I'll take it." Kaoru sighed, giving in to her friend's wish.

"_So…how's Sano doing?_" Megumi asked slowly on the other line, making Kaoru grin.

Megumi came into Physics the day before Kaoru was supposed to meet Enishi. Kaoru and Megumi squealed before running toward each other and hugging.

"It's been so boring at night without you!" Kaoru said, squeezing her friend tightly.

"Agh, try sleeping in a hospital. _Not fun._" Megumi replied, rolling her eyes as she pulled away.

"How are you?"

Megumi sighed. "Good. I get to use the elevator to get to the different floors." She said, beaming.

Kaoru glared. "I hate you."

"I'd rather have to walk up the three flights of stairs – I hate being this weak."

Their Physics teacher came into the room then, interrupting the reunion. He kindly welcomed Megumi back before beginning his lessons.

"_Shit_, I'm so behind." Megumi murmured, looking at the equations on the board with wide eyes.

"You've been swearing a lot lately." Kaoru whispered.

Megumi shrugged. "Maybe it was because of the near-death situation."

Kaoru looked down at her desk guiltily, still feeling slightly responsible for what happened. Megumi reached over and shook her arm. "I'm so sorry."

"Stop it, it's not your fault." Megumi said, sitting back in her chair.

Kaoru sighed, looking to where Enishi was sitting. Enishi winked at her and Kaoru glared at him menacingly. Megumi looked over to where Kaoru was glaring and gave Enishi the middle finger.

Kaoru stared at Megumi in shock. "You've totally changed."

Megumi took out her notebook and wrote down in her neat cursive, "I'm just really angry. I feel like I can't be myself until he's out of the school and/or dead."

"That's definitely not a Christian statement," Kaoru wrote underneath.

Megumi sighed. "I don't know what to believe anymore," she wrote slowly.

Kaoru wanted to write back that she shouldn't give up her beliefs, but she realized that it wasn't Megumi's choice.

She tried to focus her attention on the board, trying to prevent herself from flinging her arms around Megumi, wanting to comfort her and wanting comfort for herself.

After classes, Kaoru hugged Megumi tightly, knowing that it was most likely going to be the last time she was ever going to see her.

"You're not going to die." Megumi whispered in her ear before walking out of the school with her mother.

Kaoru wanted more than anything to believe Megumi's words.

Later that night, Kaoru and Kenshin were quietly doing their homework in her room – it was actually more of him watching her do her homework.

"I hate how you do your homework so fast. So annoying." Kaoru muttered as she took notes on the scientific revolution for history.

"Well, think about how annoying it is for me to learn this material for the fifth time. I know these time periods as if I lived through it." He said with a light smile.

"Har, har," She said sarcastically, to which Kenshin chuckled. "But really, you write so fast! Have you ever seen yourself – your hand is like a blur across the page! So for the in class essay yesterday did you have to force yourself to slow down?"

"Of course. I could've easily written that essay in about five minutes."

"I hate you."

He laughed again. "Well…maybe this year I'll go through the same aches you do when writing a three page essay in forty-five minutes." He said with a slight hint of hope in his voice.

She looked up from her notes and nodded. "Yeah, then I'll be laughing at your face." She said with an evil grin.

Then the thought suddenly hit her that she was probably not going to be able to do that. She sighed sadly at the painful reminder.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Fine. I still have ten pages of this ridiculous reading to do." She lied easily. She had to take pride in herself for the fact that she could lie to Kenshin's face fully. Even if sometimes she had the feeling that he knew she was lying.

"It's important. You should finish it soon so you can go to sleep early – you haven't been getting much sleep." He said kindly.

It was true – she could use more sleep. With that in mind, she got back into her work, despite her annoyance on the subject of Roman Inquisition arresting Galileo for heresy. However, she did like the fact it kept her mind busy.

By the time she finished it was about twenty minutes to curfew. Kenshin smiled at her, happy that she did all her homework at a reasonable time. He got up and was about to leave for his room when she asked quietly,

"How much of Nyoko will we need?" Kaoru asked, referring to the ritual to turn him mortal.

Kenshin walked back to her bed and sat down wordlessly reaching into his pocket and taking out a black velvet box no larger than three inches by two inches. He handed into to Kaoru, covering her hand with his, preventing her from opening it. "This should be enough." He said solemnly.

Kaoru couldn't help but shudder, realizing that part of Nyoko was inside the box. Feeling slightly ill she put the box inside the pocket of her sweatpants, not quite ready to leave Kenshin's side.

"Alright, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, getting up towards the door again.

"Wait," she said as he was halfway through the door, "could you…stay with me tonight? After your roommate falls asleep." She asked softly, slightly embarrassed.

He stared at her blankly for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright. I'll be back shortly."

When he shut the door quietly behind him, she got up to Megumi's drawer and took out a Swiss army knife that she knew she kept for sewing purposes and placed it in her pocket. In exchange, she took the silver dagger given by Misao and put it under her pillow with a note she had written earlier that day during History:

_Dear Megumi, _

_Don't feel guilty about my death – there was no way I could let a bastard like Enishi mess up your bright future as a doctor. I wasn't really going anywhere – I'm too mixed up with these vampires and it was either immortal life or death._

_Help comfort Kenshin – no doubt he'll be devastated. Tell him that IT'S NOT HIS FAULT. Maybe if he sees this he'll go a bit easier on himself._

_Also, tell him that I love him…and that I'm sorry I never got to tell him._

_Misao gave me this dagger – I hope you'll never have to use it, but you never know…_

_You've been my wonderful best friend for many years – thank you so much for all you've done. You're the best._

_With all my heart,_

_Kaoru_

She then went back to her bed and took out the old book from her bag, flipping to the bookmarked page with all the symbols. Feeling the palms of her hands tingle a bit, she took a deep breath and studied them.

After fifteen minutes of reading, Kenshin soundlessly came into the room. She glanced at the last few symbols at the bottom of the page before placing the book under her bed.

"Bless my roommate, he falls asleep at the drop of a dime." He said from the door, smiling. "How's the memorizing coming along?" He asked.

"Good. I know it all now." She said, patting the bed, wanting him to sit next to her.

He eyed her for a moment. "You should really sleep now. I won't leave." He said, reading the wide-eyed expression on her face.

"You will when I fall asleep." She said in a low voice.

He sighed. "Well, there is a patrol tonight since it is a Friday."

"Wait…_what?_"

He looked at her with an amused expression. "You didn't know they check up on everyone at midnight or so?"

"No!"

He chuckled. "That's probably because you're a good student. You're really not supposed to know."

"Huh…"

He nodded at her, urging her to lie down. She sighed as she got under the covers. When she got settled, she looked at him with raised eyebrows. In less than a second the lights were off in her room and he was holding her hand gently.

"Sleep. You'll need all the strength you can get." He whispered softly, running his other hand through her long hair.

His ministrations were very hypnotic and making her tired. "Why…do…I…?" She murmured, trailing off.

He lightly kissed her forehead. "Shhh, sleep. I'll be here."

Her grip slowly loosened on his hand as she fell into a very deep sleep.

* * *

Kaoru suddenly woke up, unsure of where she was due to the fact that she couldn't feel the softness of her mattress or the warmth of her dorm. She shot up, realizing she was lying on a cold stone floor, clearly not where she was supposed to be.

A pair of turquoise eyes shone with malice in the darkness.

Enishi.

"You said tomorrow." Kaoru said with a hitched voice as he fully revealed himself.

"It's 12:05…which is _the very beginning_ of the tenth day." He said, an evil grin forming on his face when she had finally realized.

"That's not fair…" She whispered to herself.

He shrugged, squatting down on one knee. "Life's not fair…so I guess it's a good thing you won't be alive much longer."

"I wouldn't say that so soon, Enishi."

And there was Kenshin, calmly standing a few feet away with his swirling amber and violet eyes glaring at him.

_So this was what you had to do_…Kaoru thought to herself, slightly relieved that she might just have a chance of seeing through the night.

"Interesting…" Enishi murmured, temporarily forgetting about Kaoru and standing up to fully face Kenshin. "She didn't tell any of you of our meeting…yet you _still_ found out. How?"

"You're correct, she didn't tell any of us _directly_ of this meeting." Kenshin said, talking a step closer. "But, she was overheard telling Megumi of this meeting. Aoshi is very good at hiding his emotions as you know very well."

"But how could _you_ hold back such emotions? I would've known that you knew of this!" Enishi asked with a frustrated tone.

Kenshin shrugged. "I knew you were planning to do this at some point…I just didn't know the date." He said simply, taking another step.

To Kaoru's immense surprise, Enishi smiled to himself and shook his head slightly. "Figures. I didn't count on you being so observant despite her life being on the line."

"It was difficult, I'll give you that." Kenshin admitted, briefly glancing to Kaoru who had managed to stand up fully.

Enishi flickered his gaze back to Kaoru, who tried not to shudder. "You seem to attach yourselves to very pretty girls." He murmured to himself.

Kenshin's face became hidden by his red bangs. "I am…truly sorry for Tomoe. It was selfish of me for wanting her to be by my side forever…but it was also her fault as well for not fully realizing the consequences of being immortal."

Enishi snorted, looking back up at Kenshin with eyes full of hatred. "You took the one person dearest to me. Now I'll return the favor."

Kenshin crouched into a fighting stance, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. "I can't let you." He said, shaking his head slightly. "Kaoru…back away please."

Kaoru bit her lip and back a few feet away, tense and anxious over the fight that was going to be fought before her.

A loud cry was heard from Enishi as he lunged at Kenshin with impossible speed. There was a loud clang of silver against silver, making Kaoru's ears ring. She put her hands over her ears, whimpering a little.

This wasn't what she wanted to happen – she wanted to change Kenshin in the early morning, meet Enishi, and bargain with him to not kill Kenshin, that there would be no point in fighting with a mortal.

But that option disappeared and she was stuck with a predicament.

A cold hand suddenly covered her mouth and brought her into the darkness, scaring her out of her wits. She thought for a wild moment that Enishi managed to find another vampire in case something was to go out of plan and kill her.

"I'm going to take you to the Almandine Room." A deep voice whispered in her ear, which Kaoru immediately recognized to belong to Aoshi.

She was about to yell at him for scaring her, but he already grabbed her wrist and ran down the corridor at an incredible speed. He suddenly stopped in front of the piece of the wall that led to the Almandine Room. She took her amulet out and put a hand on the wall, hoping to illicit the same reaction as last time.

The amulet glowed red and the stones began to move, revealing the safe haven. Aoshi gently pushed her in, murmuring, "I have to get Hiko," before leaving her alone.

She slowly realized that she was standing in the middle of the circle. Getting on her knees, she took out the army knife, flipping the knife out. She pulled the sleeve of her arm down so her white wrist was revealed. Her knee was brought up to her chin so she could roll up the fabric. Biting the rolled fabric by her knee, she brought the blade to her wrist and quickly sliced the skin. She bit hard on the fabric, tears streamed down her face as blood began to fall down her forearm. Bringing the wrist to the carvings in the floor, she watched with slight queasiness as her blood fell from her arm to the white marks on the floor.

Bringing her wrist to her mouth, she watched as all the white carvings fill with her blood, almost making the circle invisible – indistinguishable from the garnet.

Another clang of silver against silver made her quickly take the velvet box from her pocket. Tipping it on an angle, she opened the box so she could avoid touching part of the tail that was once attached to Nyoko. The furry piece of flesh landed in the center of the circle, making the center of her palms send shocks through her body.

All that was left was Kenshin…

With that thought, it seemed as if Kenshin and Enishi were getting closer by the moment. She was beginning to smell blood – unsure if it was her own or if it was coming from out of the room.

She saw a flash of silver from the doorway and everything seemed to freeze. Kenshin was on the defensive, sporting a large gash on his arm, glaring inhumanly with cat-like eyes. Enishi was bearing his fangs with a monster-like glare. Unable to breathe, she stared at the two, not realizing that she was watching them.

Faster than she ever thought possible, she reached out and pulled Kenshin into the Almandine Room. When he was in the safe confinement, he kept moving his gaze from her to Enishi, who could not enter the room.

"Fight me, you coward!" Enishi yelled, his body shaking with anger.

Kaoru brought his injured arm to the magic circle, making sure his blood mixed with hers in the crevices.

"What are you doing?" He hissed, his eyes swirling with amethyst and amber.

"Now, it has to be now." She said, moving his arm away when she felt her palms growing hot.

"No." He whispered, realizing what she was trying to do.

It was too late; she had already closed her eyes and started picturing all the intricate symbols on the pages of the old book, holding Kenshin's hands tightly.

From behind her eyelids she saw the room was bathed in a brilliant white light. She heard Enishi's screams and felt Kenshin's hands trembling. She heard whispers of an ancient language around her, causing the palms of her hands to burn. She heard a piercing scream, realizing a few seconds later that it was her own.

When she felt Kenshin's hands slip from hers, the white light was gone. She opened her eyes, revealing Enishi who was moving his arms away from his face. The first thing she noticed about the room was that it was no longer white – it was clear, like colorless quartz. She looked down at the floor, noticing that the carvings were gone.

Kenshin was curled on the floor, his mouth partly open, eyes closed. She got to her knees and shook him awake, hoping beyond hope that he was alive.

A pair of tired violet eyes shone through partially opened eyelids. After a few seconds, he shot up and stared at Enishi. With a determined expression, he shakily stood up, making sure he was positioned in front of Kaoru.

When she saw the evil smirk on Enishi's face, she realized with horror that the room was no longer garnet.

"What did I do?" Kaoru whispered inaudibly.

She had hoped that once he turned human, the both of them would be protected by the room and Enishi wouldn't be able to get in. Then Seijuro or Aoshi would come and kill Enishi instead, saving Kenshin from taking another life.

Clearly that wasn't to be the case.

Slowly, he advanced to Kenshin and Kaoru, taking slow steps into the room, completely relishing in their fearful expressions. She glanced up at Kenshin at saw a thin film of sweat on his brow.

_Wait, _what, she thought to herself in shock.

But she had no more time to think – Enishi was only seconds away from simply raising his sword and killing them both.

However, just when he was raising his sword, several things happened at once.

Enishi's face suddenly contorted into a grotesque mask of pain. He let out a horrible yell, as if he was on fire. Dropping his sword, he brought his hands to his back, frantically searching for something.

When Enishi shifted slightly, she saw Megumi glaring at Enishi was so much anger and hate that her hands were shaking. Aoshi was standing beside her, an impressed expression etched on his usually emotionless face.

"That was for nearly killing me you _son of a bitch!_" Megumi shrilled.

Enishi turned to Megumi, revealing the silver dagger that Kaoru had left for Megumi imbedded deep into Enishi's back. She briefly admired Megumi's ability to throw the dagger at such strength.

Kenshin, meanwhile, slowly picked up his forgotten sword from the floor and with an exasperated yell he shoved the sword through Enishi's back and through his stomach.

More screams erupted from Enishi's mouth as his body twisted in agony. He turned to face Kenshin with a glare, but was swept away with pain and couldn't hold it for very long. It only took a few more seconds for Enishi to fall dead to the ground, his body quickly decomposing into blood.

There was a tense silence. Kaoru couldn't breathe due to the horrible smell of blood that was filling the room quickly, but also because of the meaning behind the dead body that laid on the floor below her.

"Served that bastard right." Megumi growled, breaking the silence.

"What the hell? I missed _the_ battle of the century?" Misao whined, suddenly appearing beside Aoshi.

"Well, this is messy…" Hiko said casually while walking over to Aoshi's other side.

Kaoru was about to yell at them for acting so casual about the whole situation when Kenshin suddenly dropped to his knees, his hands out in front of him on the ground, panting. Kaoru got down on her knees once again and brushed his bangs away from his face, actually feeling sweat on his forehead.

"Kenshin…" She whispered, a smile growing on her face. "You're mortal…"

"What?" Everyone outside the room said at the same time, all a different range of emotions: Megumi with confusion, Aoshi and Misao in disbelief, and Hiko with curiosity.

Kenshin tried to stand up again, this time Kaoru helped him up to his feet. He took off his right glove and wiped his hand over his forehead. Looking down at his hand, he saw the dim light from the hallway reflecting off the liquid on his hand. With that same hand, he brought it to his wrist, where he found his pulse, gasping when he felt it pounding under his fingertips.

"Oh…" He said softly, trailing off.

"Well, this is very interesting indeed." A girly voice said from the hallway.

* * *

A/N: Three guesses who, the first two don't count. So - I'm sorry that we're almost at the end of this story - I really liked making half the Kenshin-gumi vampires. But I'm also happy that I got my desire to write a vampire story out of my system. No more vampires for me for a while - later down the line when I write something new with these mysterious creatures, I'm making Kaoru the sexy vamp :)

Please review!

MissGoalie


	14. Chapter Fourteen

A/N: Final chapter! It's been an awesome ride – and I hope you all enjoyed reading this story! Although Kenshin will not be the sexy vampire anymore, that isn't to say that his mortal self is not (because he totally is either way). This is for everyone :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

A small figure with curly brown hair and pear-colored eyes immerged from the darkness along with a tall, elderly man with sharp eyes. The girl was giggling.

"The vampire who despised taking life, did the deed, and a mortal who was clearly inferior to the vampire overpowered it. Very unexpected." She said with her soft voice, looking around at everyone. She rested her eyes on Kenshin. "But you're not a vampire anymore, are you? Haven't been a mortal for nearly five minutes and already you've aided a mortal in committing the greatest mortal sin." She giggled once again, her bell-like laughter echoing in the hallway.

"What do you want?" Kaoru asked sharply, surprising herself.

Akemi turned to look at Kaoru. "That was very brave of you, mortal. Albeit rather foolish."

"How was I supposed to know that the room would suddenly change substances?" Kaoru muttered to herself. She looked at Megumi, who was still shaking a bit. "I can't believe…you…you were so cool!" Kaoru blurted, unable to think of the right thing to say for what her friend had done.

Megumi gave her a weak smile. "Yeah. I guess him taking my blood ended up being his undoing."

Akemi sighed. "Another mortal is involved…goodness, you people…"

"We allowed one mortal to know our secret. But two is not acceptable." Masaru said sternly.

"Ah, you mustn't forget Kenshin. He is now a mortal who knows our existence." Akemi added.

"Hardly fair – I am…was one." Kenshin murmured, still in shock. He brought his fingers up to his neck where his pulse was, still not quite ready to fully believe that he had a pulse.

"They either must be changed or killed." Masaru stated.

Kaoru stuttered. "Kenshin was _just_ changed back! There is no way in _hell_ I'm letting you change him. I cut my wrist for it!" She rolled down her sleeve to reveal the blood-crusted wound.

"I'll die if I have any blood taken from me, simple as that." Megumi stated calmly.

Akemi eyed her. "You do have some vampire characteristics. The way you threw that dagger was marvelous – clearly not possible for a normal human."

They heard rushed footsteps from the end of the corridor. Kaoru had barely any time to panic when Seijuro said, "It's Kashiwazaki."

Kaoru looked down at the remains of Enishi's body and grimaced. "Can we relocate this meeting?" She asked.

Akemi sighed. "I do wish we came a bit earlier – his blood would've been tolerable."

Kaoru nearly threw up. "Would you _mind_ not talking about that? It's already bad enough that the smell is absolutely _sickening_."

Akemi smiled. "You're such a funny mortal."

"What the _devil_…" Headmaster Kashiwazaki started before trailing off at the sight of Enishi's body. He too had a look of horror and disgust. "Maybe…" He sighed. "Everyone move to the kitchens. We'll get some privacy there…and there'll be enough room for everyone." He stated. He looked to Seijuro and Aoshi. "Could you…remove the body?" He asked awkwardly.

Disgust flashed across Aoshi's face for a brief moment before nodding. With that said, Akemi, Masaru, Megumi, Misao, Kaoru, Kenshin, and Kashiwazaki walked out of the basement and toward the kitchens which was on the first floor.

When everyone grabbed stools of different sizes around in a circle, there was a loud growl that made everyone freeze and turn their eyes toward Kenshin.

His eyes widened as he looked down at his stomach. "I'm…hungry…" He stated in a daze. Kaoru couldn't help but snort. He looked at her and gave her a small glare. "You try not having hunger pains for nearly two-hundred years and then suddenly having them again." But he said it with a smile.

"Alright, let's get this over with quickly." Masaru said with a bored expression.

"We have to wait for Aoshi and Hiko." Misao said defiantly.

"I still find it unbelievable that there's been this whole conspiracy here…" Megumi muttered.

"It'll all be over after tonight, thank goodness, because this school has been such an annoyance." Akemi added. She switched her sharp gaze to Kenshin, who was sitting quietly, looking down at his hands on his lap. "You've been quiet, Himura. You're mortal now - what do you have to say about it?"

Kenshin looked up, his eyes no longer holding an unnatural light to them, yet they were holding its own shine. "I've been trying to sink everything in. I feel like I'm in a dream." He answered.

"Well, we could pinch you, but there's the risk of plucking your arm off." Akemi answered, a small smile playing on her heart-shaped lips.

"No thanks." Kenshin said, chuckling. He looked at the palm of his hand in the light, seeing it was no longer ivory white, but slightly pink. "I have color."

"Oh, Kaoru! Kiss him so we can see him blush! I've always wanted to see his face when he's embarrassed!" Misao exclaimed, jumping to her feet in excitement. Kaoru herself turned pink at the thought, as did Kenshin. "Aw! You're so cute!" Misao gushed near Kenshin's face. She suddenly stopped before turning to the doorway where Hiko and Aoshi were standing. "Aoshi, you know you're the only one for me." She said immediately.

Kaoru burst out laughing and Kenshin smiled a little, not quite looking at Aoshi.

"Stop this nonsense, I want to leave _soon_, if you don't mind." Masaru said sharply, effectively silencing everyone. Aoshi and Seijuro found two seats and found a spot on the circle. "Thank you. Now we can begin discussing what's going to happen."

"Himura becoming a mortal isn't exactly the best situation. Since, frankly, you should be dead." Akemi said, shifting a bit in her seat. "These stools are highly uncomfortable."

"So…I need paperwork, essentially?" Kenshin asked.

"Yes, everything. Fake birth certificate, hospital files, school records…it's very messy."

"I take it that you're going to do this for me?" Kenshin voiced slowly with wide eyes.

"Of course. Imagine what the world will think if a boy with absolutely no identity has been roaming around the earth for so many years? I think I will save us all the trouble and get everything done." Akemi pondered for a long moment. "There's also the problem of that whole…being a mortal without any sort of immune system. After all, there are problems today that weren't prominent two-hundred years ago."

"Well isn't Dr. Genzai still around?" Misao asked.

"Yes, but he's in Italy right now, and he doesn't like to be forced anywhere." Akemi said with a small scoff, as if he was such an inconvenience to her.

"Do you think he'd come if I offered him some payment?" Kenshin said.

"Depends – what kind of payment? Money won't work on him."

Kenshin removed his bloody right hand glove and took off the gold ring that was on his pinky finger. Imbedded was a small stone that seemed to change color depending on the light. It was the Alexandrite ring that Seijuro had given him when when he first became a vampire.

Akemi gasped sharply. "Where did you get that?"

Kenshin shrugged, not willing to give up Seijuro and let him be subjected to unwanted questions. "Found it." He responded vaguely. "I'm in no position to contact him directly – could you do this for me as well?" He asked Akemi kindly.

"Even as a mortal you're still charming," she muttered, "fine. You owe me, Mr. Himura."

"Well, I'm not sure what I can do, but I'll do my best." Kenshin said.

She turned to Masaru. "Go back to the house and try and contact Dr. Genzai. Tell him that it's a very odd case that he has never seen before and there's a rare payment."

Masaru nodded, got up from the circle and left the kitchen faster than Kaoru could see.

Akemi turned her attention to Megumi, who was watching the discussion before her with a mixture of awe and fright. "You're an odd case as well. Who'd of thought there would be a half-vampire in existence? I'm curious to see your lifespan." Akemi said thoughtfully.

"What do I have to do?" Megumi asked somewhat nervously.

Akemi gave a small sigh. "There's nothing we can really do. I suppose we'll need to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't turn into a bloodlust creature and start killing every living being around you." She swung her small legs back and forth like a child, looking up at the ceiling. "Perhaps we can find a demon who is looking to settle down. That would be a fine option."

"A demon…like Nyoko?"

Akemi suddenly looked very sad, as if all the years of her immortal life had caught up with her in one instant. "There will be no demon like Nyoko…" She looked down at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Kenshin, her pear eyes bloodshot. "You are quite lucky to have been saved from this immortal curse. There comes a point where every life you meet is all the same and insignificant. Yet there are some that manage to break through that…"

"You knew Nyoko?" Kaoru asked, feeling sad as well, yet surprised at the same time.

"Oh, I've met her a few times. She was always a restless one, almost as if she was looking for something. I suppose she found it – staying with Kenshin until the very end. But yes, she was remarkable."

There was a tense, sad-filled silence after that, which was broken by another rather loud growl from Kenshin. He turned bright red. "Sorry." He whispered.

"What are we waiting for? Let's find him something to eat!" Misao exclaimed enthusiastically, jumping off from the stool and rushing to the cabinets. After a few seconds of shuffling through all the cabinets and drawers, she came over to Kenshin with two things: a box of Ritz crackers and a box of cookies.

Everyone (except Akemi) gave Misao gave looks that clearly read, "are you serious?"

She sighed. "They're the only things I could find that didn't require cooking."

"This guy hadn't had anything to eat in two-hundred years and the first meal he's going to have is Ritz crackers and cookies? Wow, not special at all…" Kaoru said while rolling her eyes.

"Which should I eat first?" Kenshin asked.

"Have a cookie." Kaoru suggested with a sigh.

Kenshin opened this box with slightly shaky hands and took out a cookie. For a moment he stared at it before taking a very small bite. Everyone waited in anticipation, excited to know his thoughts.

"Wait, I couldn't taste it." He said, taking a larger bite. Everyone sighed loudly, and put their heads in their hands in exasperation.

He stopped chewing for a moment, his eyes widening before he hid them with his long bangs. Kaoru put a hand on his shoulder. "Is it good? You're not allergic to chocolate or anything, are you?" She started worriedly.

"It's…good…that's all." He said softly.

She grinned as she whispered his in ear, "Wait until you try freshly baked cookies where the chocolate is warm and melted…"

A new shade of pink blossomed on his face that had nothing to do with being embarrassed. He tried to say something, but the words seemed to be lodged in his throat. Kaoru grinned and pulled away. "Hah!" She said triumphantly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his face turning back to normal.

"I managed to make _you_ choke up."

Misao, Akemi, Seijuro, and Kashiwazaki snickered while Kenshin turned completely red before hiding his face behind his bangs. "Please not here. Can we move on? Like what's going to happen right now?" He muttered.

Akemi stopped laughing, but still had a smile on her face. "Well, you should eat. Right? That's what mortals do best. Then sleep…that's another thing. And hopefully by tomorrow Dr. Genzai will be here. So no school until he has cleared you."

"Should I just stay in the infirmary?" Kenshin said.

Kashiwazaki nodded. "Yes. I can make up something to satisfy Ms. Miyagi."

"You want to know something odd." Akemi said suddenly, getting up from her stool gracefully stand in front of Kenshin and Kaoru. "Your heartbeats are coinciding with each other perfectly."

Kaoru was looking at Akemi curiously when Kenshin gently took her wrist in his hand felt her pulse. With his other hand he felt the pulse point on his neck. After a few moments his eyes widened into saucers, "Wow."

She copied what Kenshin did, and nearly jumped when she felt both pulses occur at the same time. "This isn't normal…"

"Another thing to tell Dr. Genzai. You two mortals will be the first to be examined by him – be honored. Thousands of vampires try and see him and never do." Akemi said seriously before graciously getting to her feet. "Well, I believe that's all! I'll be sending a messenger to Hiko Seijuro and he'll get Kenshin, Megumi Takani, and Kaoru Kamiya to the house." She paused. "You'll also be the first mortals to come in and out of the House of Mezaris alive."

"That's nice." Kaoru grimaced.

Akemi smiled at Kaoru pleasantly, as if they were just acquaintances. "Well, I will be seeing you tomorrow then. Adieu!" She waved to everyone before skipping out of the room innocently.

As soon as she left, Kaoru muttered, "and she's the same girl that wanted to drink the blood from a corpse."

* * *

Kaoru and Megumi slept in the first two periods, given that both were physically and mentally exhausted from the events of earlier in the morning. When they came into English class, they let out a breath, relieved that Enishi would never be in their classrooms again, sending ominous smirks in their direction.

Between every class, Kaoru went to the infirmary wing to check on Kenshin, who slept almost the entire day. She found it quite remarkable to see him with his eyes closed – he looked so at peace. He was awake at around dinner, when she visited him with the assignments that he missed.

"I suppose it won't take me five minutes to write an essay anymore…" He said with a sigh as he looked over a newly assigned English essay.

Kaoru smirked. "No. But it'll probably take you a shorter amount of time anyway given the number of times you've probably read this book."

"That's true. I've also spoken to a lot of professors about it…so it'll only take me about thirty minutes."

"Damn you."

"I've already been damned, thank you."

She felt guilty. "Oh…right. Then maybe I should think of another direct insult."

"How about a simple 'screw you'? It's a lot less…explicit. Girls shouldn't be swearing – it's not a pretty thing to do. Men should just be the only ones to taint themselves in cursing."

She sighed. "You're so traditional."

"Hey, I'm over one-hundred and fifty-years-old, bear with me."

"Don't remind me – you're seventeen. It makes it sound weird that a seventeen-year-old girl is in love with a one-hundred and seventy-year-old man." She muttered.

He froze for a moment before twitching in disgust. "It does…even though it is the truth."

"Only your mind is one-hundred and seventy-year-old. Your body certainly isn't."

He smiled and ran a warm finger down her cheek. "No, it certainly doesn't feel that old."

She leaned in closer. "I like this warm body of yours."

She watched him swallow loudly in amusement. He surprised her when he suddenly pulled her on top of him, gripping her waist tightly. She gasped a little at the close proximity of their faces, their noses just an inch apart.

"I do too." He said quietly before leaning in a little and kissing her.

She was overwhelmed with the difference between how it felt kissing him before when he was a vampire and in this moment. The heat from his hands seeped through her shirt, making her muscles languid.

But before she could completely lose herself in him, she heard the curtains fly open. Kaoru immediately pulled away and looked at the intruder, who she was thankful to have been Megumi more than anyone else, like Ms. Miyagi.

"Oh…I'm sorry…" Megumi said embarrassedly, turning red. She was holding a cinnamon colored fox arms as if it was a house cat. The fox's eyes were very feline-like with black slits for pupils.

Kaoru watched Kenshin as he seemed to be in a staring contest with the fox. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "Right. This is Chikao…he's here to take us to the House of Mezaris…and he's to be Megumi's guardian."

"I thought you said that demons normally take the shape of a domestic animal."

_Some of us prefer not to stick with trends. Besides, mortals will leave you alone if you're a dangerous animal._

The voice was deep and soothing, yet at the same time she could sense something very powerful and dangerous. Although he seemed rather unfriendly, she was glad that some demon agreed to watch over Megumi.

"Thanks, we'll go then." Kaoru said, standing up and holding out a hand to Kenshin. He grabbed it and lifted himself off the bed.

Megumi dropped Chikao on the ground, letting him lead the way outside of the school, where a beautiful, red Ferrari 430 Scuderia was waiting.

Kenshin's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

_A gift from the House of Mezaris for taking care of Yukishiro. Not to mention as a gift to keep your mouth shut about us._

A large grin blossomed on Kenshin's face. "Yes!" He said like a little boy.

"Hey, wait a second, _I'm_ the one who actually weakens Enishi _and_ I put my life on the line to keep him under control. Does that mean I get a jet plane or something?" Megumi said, a pout on her face. Chikao must have said something to make her frown. "I feel like I got the short end of the stick on this situation." After a moment, Megumi started to grin brightly. "_Really?_ Hah! Yes! I do get something."

"What do you get?" Kaoru asked.

"I get all of Enishi's money, which apparently, is quite a lot." Megumi smirked. "No problem for paying for medical school!"

Kenshin walked over to the car and was grinning from ear to ear when he got inside and was looking around the interior. "Wait until Aoshi sees _this!_ Now I can park next to him without feeling inferior! Not that a Porche is completely inferior..."

* * *

The House of Mezaris was a long way into the woods, which Kenshin found most exciting trying to drive on a very crude and windy path through. It was a huge mansion, covered with dead vines and surrounded by seasons of leaves on the ground.

The driveway was a gravel path that was a U shape. Kenshin parked in front of the mansion, in front of a set of large, oak doors with rusted metal handles.

Kenshin turned off the ignition and let out a breath. "If I hadn't directed you eleven years ago, you could've ended up right here." He said to Kaoru.

She shuddered. "Thank God you were there." She said before getting out of the car.

"Did you notice them?" He asked, getting out of the car as well.

"Notice who?"

"The vampires and demons. They were watching us. Hundreds walk around the area, making sure no lost traveler will end up here." He explained as Chikao leaped up the front steps.

_You still have good eyes, Kenshin Himura. _Chikao's voice echoed in everyone's mind.

Kenshin shrugged. "Not so much anymore, I just know they're out there." Megumi shuddered next to Kaoru, who put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

_We're always out there. You just have to keep an eye out for us._

Kenshin opened the door just as Kaoru felt her stomach tighten with nerves. The first thing she noticed was a grand staircase directly across the grand room. There were cherrfy-wood pillars inside detailed with intricate carvings at the bases. Crimson curtains hunt over the large windows. A fire was crackling under the fireplace where blood red chairs were places.

There were vampires in room, looking very human-like, which surprised her. She thought they would look more menacing given that not all vampires were accepting of humans. They wore leather, expensive suits, and even some clothing made from the Victorian-era.

_They ooze style_, Kaoru thought to herself in awe.

They were all talking quietly, watching the three mortals and the demon with sharp eyes. They looked decadent and dangerous.

"Hello! I take it you like your gift, Mr. Himura?" Akemi said from the top of the staircase with a light smile on her face. Everyone craned their necks to see Akemi skip down the staircase.

Kenshin nodded eagerly. "Yes, very much, thank you."

"And I'll take it that you'll keep your past to yourself, then?"

He suddenly became serious as he nodded. "Yes. I will."

"Good!" She said cheerfully. She turned to Megumi. "Enishi's money will be directly wired to your account. No need to give me any information, we vampires are very talented at finding out these things." Kaoru looked to the group by the fireplace, who smirked with confidence at Akemi's comment. "Chikao has willingly agreed to watch over you, Megumi Takani. Although I disapprove of his form," she scoffed for a moment, like a child who wasn't given the right toy, "he will be of great help. Besides, I think his form is just _perfect_ for you." She giggled.

Megumi flushed with embarrassment and a bit of anger. All the vampires switched their gaze to Megumi's red face, their eyes flashing. Chikao growled at them threateningly.

_Anyone who so much as thinks of hurting her, he or she will join Enishi Yukishiro in the ground._

All the vampires looked down. Some of them stood up and walked out of the room.

"Kenshin Himura! Is that _you?_" Kenshin bit back a groan as a feminine looking man approached him with a bright smile, his fangs flashing. "I haven't seen you…_oh no_…_you're_ the one who was changed back." He pouted.

"Yes, Kamatari. I'm sorry, I guess we won't be sharing a drink together."

"_Nonsense._ You can drink whatever mortals drink and _I'll_ just have blood."

"You know the law, Honjou Kamatari. Once he leaves this mansion he is no longer one of us. You two shall not meet again." Akemi said sharply.

He pouted. "_Fine._ I'll just have to find you randomly one of these days."

Kaoru saw the amused smile on Kenshin's face. "We'll see."

Masaru was suddenly next to Akemi, slightly shocking Kaoru. He bent forward and whispered something in Akemi's ear before straightening himself and walking away. "Dr. Genzai will see you now. Follow me!"

She skipped up the stairs quickly before Kenshin, Megumi, and Kaoru could even make it to the first step. Chikao rushed to join Akemi's side as they led the way through the creepy corridors of the mansion. She finally stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor. Opening it, she revealed an open room with a crackling fireplace on the left of the room that was circled by a string of forest-green chairs similar to those that were downstairs. Across the room was a wooden table where an elderly man was reading a book. He looked up behind small glasses as he shut his book.

"Kaoru Kamiya, Megumi Takani, Kenshin Himura, this is Dr. Genzai." Akemi said before leaving the room. "Please hand in their reports when you're done, doctor!" She called down the hallway.

Dr. Genzai was a rather stocky man with a grey mustache and beard. His eyes reflected his wisdom and limitless knowledge, yet the wrinkles around his eyes showed his weariness of everything that he had seen and learn in his many lifetimes.

He silently walked up to Kaoru in a deliberately slowed pace, as if not to frighten her.

"I'm going to need that amulet off your skin." He said with a stern, somnolent voice.

She looked to Kenshin, who nodded once. Reaching behind her neck, she unclipped the necklace and placed it on top of a wooden table next to her. Dr. Genzai nodded before holding her chin in his wrinkled hand.

"Pretty mortal you've found, Mr. Himura." He said, tilting her head from side to side. She blushed slightly. "You seem to have a death wish – blushing in front of a vampire."

"Indeed she does." Kenshin muttered.

"You seem to be fine – despite the amount of blood he took from you. I'm surprised you didn't collapse – you must be strong." Kaoru didn't say anything, instead she squeezed Kenshin's hand reassuringly.

Dr. Genzai switched his focus to Megumi and Kenshin. "I need you to go into those two rooms," he said, pointing to his left and right, where there was a door on each side, "and get out of your clothes – there's a gown for each of you." Megumi went to the room on the left while Kenshin went to the room on the right. Kaoru awkwardly continued to stand in the same spot, not knowing which room to go in. "I'm going to see Mr. Himura first, and I think you should come. Akemi told me there was something interesting about him that involved you."

She nodded as she grabbed her amulet and clasped it around her neck. She followed him to the room on the right. Inside was just like a doctor's office, which surprised her. There was a bed in the left corner, and to the right there was a set of wooden cabinets, a sink, and a very modern looking machine and computer, which was the only thing that differentiated from a normal doctor's office.

She quickly became transfixed with Kenshin's bare chest, which she had never seen before, given that he always wore clothing that covered every inch of him. His torso was decorated with small scars, which were the only flaws in his otherwise flawless body. He blushed when he caught her staring, which cased her to blush as well.

"What is with mortals and _blushing?_" Dr. Genzai muttered to himself as he walked over to the counter underneath the cabinets. He took out a syringe with a needle, making her cringe slightly. "I'm going to take some of your blood to see if you have anything…but Akemi tells me that you weren't one for donors." He said, walking over to Kenshin (who was in a hospital gown) and wiping a spot on his arm clean with a cotton ball before sticking the needle into his arm, drawing blood.

"I was a vegetarian if you will." Kenshin said, not at all fazed by the pain nor amount of blood taken from his arm. Dr. Genzai walked over to the machine and placed a sample of Kenshin's blood inside, watched the machine start whirling, before returning his attention back to Kenshin.

"Speaking of your diet, that will need to be discussed as well. Something tells me that you're not going to be eating meat, that you'll be a _true_ vegetarian."

Kenshin smiled. "You thought right."

Dr. Genzai sighed. "You have to make my job difficult. What's my payment, anyway?"

Kenshin took off his right glove and removed the alexandrite ring from his small finger, holding it out to the elderly vampire.

Dr. Genzai's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, this is _much_ better than what I was expecting! How lovely! The cut – the color! It's incredible." He said cheerfully, taking the ring and putting it in his pocket, given that the ring was too small to fit on any of his fingers. With a little spring in his step, he walked back to the machine, where a list was shown on the screen. "Well, you don't have any sexually transmitted diseases, which is good, and to be expected since how many donors have you had in your life?"

"Two." Kenshin replied shortly, referring to Shishio, whom he killed, and Kaoru.

"You also don't have Lyme disease either…which is rather lucky given that you mostly lived on deer…" Dr. Genzai muttered, his eyes flying down the screen. "Your blood type is AB."

"I think I'm O…" Kaoru pondered out loud.

"Would like to find out for sure?" Dr. Genzai asked.

"No!"

Dr. Genzai chuckled. "I'll be sending these results to Akemi and Masaru and they shall take care of legitimizing your existence. Now, I'm curious to see what 'strange phenomenon' she mentioned earlier."

"Apparently our pulses coincide with each other perfectly." Kenshin said, holding on his wrist. Kaoru did the same and allowed Dr. Genzai's cold fingers to rest on her wrist. He did the same with Kenshin's and closed his eyes. After about minute he opened his eyes, shock clearly written on his face.

"Hm, strange indeed…" He muttered to himself. He let go of both their wrists before pacing the room. "The only reason that I could possibly think of…yes…that's probably it…impossible…but it could be…"

Kaoru looked over at Kenshin, both clearly uncomfortable being in the same room with a muttering old man that could easily kill them in the blink of an eye.

He suddenly stopped and sighed. "Alright. I'm throwing my guess at you two, but you might as well take it as the truth – it can never be proven anyway." He waited until Kenshin and Kaoru both nodded. "Your lives are on the same…timer if you will. When one dies, the other will follow. I'm assuming this is because Kaoru was the last living being you took blood from and she was the person who sacrificed some of her blood for your complete transformation back to humanity. Therefore, your lives go hand-in-hand."

Somewhere in Kaoru's mind, she felt as if she knew that already, that their lives were inexplicably and eternally connected. To have it said in the open solidified it.

"I've thought that as well…" Kenshin said, looking at Kaoru thoughtfully. "I think we both have." She nodded, unable to say anything.

"Alright then. Although this will be quite a waste of fifty or sixty years, I'll have to be your doctor, in case anything is to happen." Dr. Genzai sighed at the thought. "I'll need to find some vampires here who would be willing to help…" He shook his head. "I have to see Miss Takani. I'm afraid I have to feed after seeing her." He saw Kaoru's horrified face before chuckling. "I've been on this earth for over five-hundred years, Miss Kamiya, I have quite the self-control."

He walked out of the room, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru alone. Kenshin lightly jumped off the bed and grabbed his neatly folded clothing that was on a stool under his feet.

"I never thought about the complications of you becoming mortal." She admitted as he slipped on a pair of jeans. She never thought she would see him in something so casual.

"Oh, I have, but it's better than what I thought originally." He said, taking off the gown and putting on the dark blue shirt he was wearing. "You should go and see Megumi. She'll probably want someone in the room with her – she's still not comfortable of the idea of vampires."

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you in a bit." She froze at the doorway. "That scar on your hand – is it gone?"

He smiled, yet shook his head. "No, it's not, but it has faded – see?" He took of his left glove, revealing the cross-shaped scar that was less severe looking. He wouldn't have to wear gloves anymore, she noted happily before exiting the room.

When she quietly entered the room on the left that Megumi was in, Dr. Genzai was writing something down on a clipboard, his eyebrows furrowed together in thought.

"Hi, Megumi."

Megumi gave a relieved smile. "Hi."

"Your body temperature has dropped." Dr. Genzai stated.

Megumi froze. "By how much?" She whispered.

"Almost two degrees."

"My body is practically half _dead!_"

"Now, Miss Takani, there's nothing to worry about. When will your temperature ever be taken outside of your home? Besides, you're _rarely_ going to fall ill. Your blood cells are remarkable. I doubt you'll get another cold again…"

Megumi's jaw dropped. "_Really?_"

"If anything, you will get ill from a serious virus, but it will be very mild for you."

Megumi made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a choke. "Wow…this is…something positive…" The weak smile that was on her face disappeared as she looked down at her hands on her lap. "Will I be able to have children?" Megumi asked softly.

Dr. Genzai sighed, putting the clipboard down on the counter. "I don't know. I don't know how your body will be a few years from now. You'll have to come for regular appointments, because the moment you start craving blood, you'll have to leave your old life behind."

A few silent tears fell down her face. Kaoru nearly cried as well, feeling responsible for Megumi's change. It was a weight on her heart that she was sure would never go away. She put a comforting hand on her friend's arm, silently saying that together they would overcome it.

"You don't feel dead."

"Huh?"

"Your body isn't that cold – nobody will tell the difference. I doubt Sano will care – he'll have you anyway."

She watched Megumi's face turn pink. "You think?"

Kaoru grinned. "Absolutely."

* * *

Akemi met with Kenshin, Kaoru, Megumi, and Chikao for a final farewell outside the House of Mezaris.

"I do hope you live out your short lives wonderfully." She said cheerfully.

"Don't worry, it's not _that_ short. When you're mortal…time seems to flow at a slower current than what it really is." Kaoru said, not at all fazed by Akemi's comment.

Akemi gave her a true smile, something that Kaoru hadn't seen before. "I bet it is…" She said softly. She then looked to the end of the gravel driveway where a red BMW convertible was. "This is for Miss Takani. We took the liberty of purchasing it – I felt somewhat guilty of the fact that Kenshin got a nice car and you didn't. It doesn't _quite_ compare with a Ferrari…but then again, it's the thought that counts, right?"

Megumi beamed. "I love it – I've always wanted one."

"Excellent! Well, farewell, mortals! And Chikao, of course. Stay away from trouble and, oh, if you see a vampire, just walk the other way. No need to get involved – we can handle it." She said with a toothy grin, revealing her small fangs.

Kenshin bowed to Akemi. "Thank you for everything."

"Dr. Genzai will contact you with more information at a later date through Kashiwazaki. Now, go. Everyone inside is getting riled because of you three, and I can't say I blame them – you all smell delicious. Adieu!" She said, waving to them as Megumi and Chikao walked over the red BMW while Kenshin and Kaoru got inside the Ferrari.

Megumi followed Kenshin on their drive back to the crossroad, which took about a half hour to do. When they got back on the main road, Kaoru asked, "Are you excited?"

Kenshin nodded, smiling. "Yes, I'm excited to rediscover certain things. And to discover new things, too." He gave a side glance toward her and she blushed.

"So this closes the chapter in my life about vampires – I'm officially done with them. I'll just pretend that Dr. Genzai isn't one." Kaoru said, leaning back into her seat with a happy smile on her face.

Something white caught the corner of her eye. When she looked closer, she noticed it was a white face, watching the car drive by. The figure was wearing black.

Kenshin gave a wry smile and gave a small chuckle. "I'm afraid vampires won't go away forever. You heard what Chikao said – they're always watching mortals. Almost as protectors of sorts."

Kaoru looked over to him and saw that his face looked a little whiter in the dark, his eyes a little brighter. "What do you mean?"

All of a sudden, his skin and eyes turned back to normal. "We want to protect humans from becoming like us. We try our best to blend in, so most mortal will never know of our cursed existence."

"You're not one of them anymore." She whispered.

"No, I'm not," he said slowly, "but I still…feel like I'm one. I doubt I'll ever feel completely human."

"You will," she said, putting a hand over his that was resting on his lap, "I'll be here for you. It'll just take some time."

"Yes, time," he suddenly smiled amusedly, "and we don't have forever," he sighed with relief, "and I couldn't be happier."

* * *

A/N: Long chapter, eh? 16 pages! I felt like I needed to fit a lot in – I figured there was a much-needed trip to the House of Mezaris. Did anyone notice the Converse reference? Well, it was really a "reference", but the tasting the cookie part - I shamefully took from my own story X( I'm such a fool! But I couldn't resist! Anyway, thank you for sticking by this story to the very end, even when the updates didn't come right away. I love you all:)

Please review and make sure to keep an eye out for my next story! ;)

MissGoalie


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